Los Angeles herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1890-1893, 1890-08-24
CALIFORNIA HORSES AND CALIFORNIA
MEN.

The California bred horses are sweep
ing all before them on the eastern tracks
this year. Nor is this the first time it
has been the pleasure of Californians to
chronicle the triumphs of our fiers on
the turf, won over the best stables of the
famous blue grass regions of Kentucky.
For years past the stables of Rose, Bald
win, Haggin and Stanford have put the
best horses of the country to their
trumps to keep within distance to see
their heels. Strains of thoroughbreds
and OF trotting blood have been brought
here from Kentucky and other pastures
of the east, and after couple of genera
tions of breeding here the scions
of these have gone back to the native
heath of their ancestors, and there have
beaten all their cousins hollow. For
some time horse breeders were loath to
acknowledge that this superiority of the
California horse arose from any pecu
liar conditions of soil and climate. 1t
was attributed to the certain new
methods of feeding invented and prac-
ticed here. But these methods were no
secrets, and were put in practice in the
east, without resulting in bringing the
colts of that section at all UP to the
standard reached in California. In
deed the California breeders
decided later on, that their
peculiar method had been followed
out too far by themselves, and that some
modification of their practices would be
advantageous. Thus the conviction was
slowly forced upon turfmen in all parts
of the country that there was some
thing in the life of the young horse in
California that endowed him with
more and better muscle and intelligence
than fell to the lot of the equine race in
other lands. The conclusion ought not
to have been reached by the a pasteriore
methods of reasoning. 1t ought to have
been foregone conclusion before
even a California colt showed his
fleet heels to an admiring crowd
on a grand stand. Why should not
the life led by the colt here tell in his
bone, muscle and brain? He is from
beneath sunny skies where colds, dis
temper and kindred diseases are gener-
ally avoided. His life from the moment
it begins is healthy and his development
is rapid and regular. His vitality is
maintained at the highest pitch, and
lungs, limbs and sinews grow full and
strong, until the highest perfection is
reached. Another influence that helps
in bringing about this result is that the
young animal is better fed here than at
the east. All winter long he has an
abundance of green feed in
grasses whose nutritive qualities
are unparalleled. Summer and
winter he has alfalfa meadows knee
deep; and grain and mashes are as
easily supplied here as elsewhere. The
colt has also great advantage here in
training. lis not shut up in stable
during many weeks of hard winter, so
that all his training is crowded into the
few weeks Of very sultry summer.
The California colt is in training all the
year round. Winter and summer are
so mild and agreeable that his training
never ceases. Anyone who has tried to
acquire high degree of perfection in
any skill where the muscles,
acting with the mind, come in play at a
high strung pitch, knows that one of the
essential elements of success is daily
steady training.
And thus the last reflection leads us to
the second part of this discussion. We
have instituted comparison between
the California horse and the California
man. The same superiority developed
in the equine under the conditions of
life prevailing here may be reached in
the human race because of the same in
flnences. This was doubted very gravely
twenty years ago, and writers like Bret
Harte said life on this coast was tenta-
tive. and no sociologist could
tell what the outcome was to be. To
this day there are thinking people here
who maintain that our mild climate will
result in the production Of an enervated
and effeminate race Of men. But these
views are wrong. The influences that
make our horses superior will make our