The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-05-08
TROTTING HORSES
The Growth and Development
of This Animal.
(Continued.)

Two since and he is lover of the noble
animaD Tho horse" he remarked to mo,
gives us an article on training horses"
answered it is = task that is dear TO
me. But will touch ii lightly. Many
bottles OF ink, many quires of paper and
many pencils have been worn out in
writing articles on this subject.
The assertion that trot:inr horse
trainers arc born, and not made, is Il
delusion and snare. 1t is quito prob.
able that the man most successful in
his vocation has an inclination or apti.
tudo for tho business, but success in
training horses results from close an.
plication, intelligent thought quick
perception, ingenious experiments, rood
Judgment, long experience and some
knowledge Of anatomy and physiology
and the habit of close observation.
Now Will say that it is simply
impossible to formulate any theory
or lay down any rules which
Will govern any certain number
OF cases Or be useful in general practice.
Horses like human beings have their
"oif days" The re are days when they
are bright and cheerful and will ESSAY
ana accomplish almost any thing in
their line. Their food agrees with them
and their liver performs its functions
and their whole physical system re-
spends TO the cncrg!Zing, animating in
nucncc q: quckenrd life currents Then
again there ara periods Of duspondcncv:
the spirits Nag, loses It's zcst; there is no
energy; active eXcrtion il Il burden, the
Will is not supported by the Muscular
forces. and vice versa ! is well known
that HUMANKIND are affected in the
same way and why NOT animals? The
fact Is demonstrated that horses possess
an anatomy and physiology 80 like the
human that tine diseases u which they
are liable and the remedies ana opera
tiOns from which relief can be hoped for
bear "A strong likeness 10 human all
ments and methods of treatment. If
this is true with respect to physical
uisarrangcmeniS, why may not
tho spirit be similarly affected
Indeed it is so. There are times when
the brightest and most spirited horses
become dull and le,hargic in their
movements and evince an unwilling
ness to perform. These are their dull
days. Some part Of their physical or.
ganism is slightly out OF gear and every
part OF the struc ure responds. There
fore, say that the training OF torscs
requires close application and KNOW
edge OF anatomy and physiology and
habit OF close observation. One horse
will thrive on an amount Of feed which
would not be sufficient for another. or
the digestion of one animal would be
impaired by food which another would
readily aS,inllatc One animal needs
lot OF SLOW york or Jogging, while an
other will only do we'll on sharp, short,
quick work. One day tho condition of
an animal requires, perhaps, six miles
OF slow work, and another day tho same
animal would need ten + twelve miles
of the same work One horse is glut-
ton for work and food, while another is
delicate in both respects.
Each may be fast nd possess the elc-
menis OF good race horse, hut they
demand widely different treatments to
tit them for their best efforts. II is for
the trainer To use his Judgment in these
matters, and if he wishes to get to tho
front and let his star shine 10 the world
as trainer and driver of trotters, he
must not think he can tako ease. but
must keep awake and watch all his
points and study his horses habits ana
dispositions.
A little moro sleep, little more slum-
Der,
So shall thy poverty come.
SO says the Good Book, and it applys
to trainers of horses as we'll
as any calling or pro fession,
high or low. There was time
when the trainer and driver of the
trotting horse was not considered mucn
or man. and was rather in disfavor.
But that time has passed.; things and
ways havo changed since "l[iroy died"
and as year by year crecps on us, the
noble animal, tho horse" is respected
more and more and also tho man that
studies his wants and brings him to the
front in his struggle for supremacy.
When say that there is no theory or
rule which will govern any certain num-
Der OF cases, mean no specific rule"
Thore may DO a general rule, and, no
doubt, is one. Books have been written.
called Every Man his Own Trainer"
and pretending to give all the informa-
ton required. And all Il new beginner
in the business would have to do would
be just TO read tho articles and follow
up the instructions to the letter, and no
would walk right up TO the head Of tho
class. The writer's of these books don't
practice what they preach. The book
may sell we'll but | pity the young
trainer who gets m ,rred 70 one of them
A case in point: One Of these books has
been written, and we'll written in some
particulars. 1t is very interesting, and,
to certain extent instruc-
tive. In ono of the chapters
the writer devoUcs three or four pages
to the overdraw head che OK. properly
called tho Kemble Jackson check, and
condemns it in toto. He is to day enc
OF the most noied drivers OF trotters in
the world and knows his business To