Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1894-06-29
FUTURE OF THE HORSE.
It Il Fsreto,d That He wul Cease to Be-
Beast Of Burden.

= " = &OGOSOAA AAb0 y u N08S0 u kOS
Beast Of Burden.
There was o time when the wiry
thoroughbred Of English breeding,
and perhaps the Arabian barb, were
looked to as the surest means for i'm
proving the common stock of horse
flesh. Consul General Judd reports
from Austria Hungary that the
American tr0ttcr Is now the iavorite
breed in use for improving the native
blood. II Austria-H hungary cannot
do better than come to America FOR
this purpose 1t argues we'll for the
superiority OF the tr0tter. AS .
beast Of speed the distinctive trotter
is an example Of modern evolution.
1t Is not many years since a speed Of
three minutes for a mile was rcckoncd
good at a trotting gait. Now there
Is hardly a farmers son in the cnun-
try that does not own q colt that
'can clip a mile in three minutes,
and not turn a hair" at least so tina
young man says. A speed of twS
minutes is not only possible, but
probable in the immediate future,
and the time may be not far off when
the American horse can trot along
side the best Derby runner.
With the constant inroads of ma
chinery ON the field of the horses
usefulness, a change is coming in the
evolution Of the animal. Already
electricity supplants the old horse
cars. aud no u is sorry. One need
have no sympathy for the over-bur-
dened fluid on a hard grade. An
electric a for parcel delivery is now
working in London. and is said to be
cheaper than horsepower. Promises
have already been made by our
inventors of electric plows, and feasi-
BILE plans for freight and produce
tramways across the countryon roads
hitherto traversed only by the aid of
the horse or mule are suggested.
The old-fashioned horsepower for
running incidental machinery is Civ
ing place to the scoming power"
The coming horse is to he less a
beast of heavy burden. MANY places
there are where horses will continue
to drag heavy loads of q necessity.
The handsome draft horse is not yet
entirely to be dispensed with. But
pleasure driving will continue to give
a motive for the improvement of the
trotting horse. The bicycle takes
the place Of a few saddle horses, per-
haps, but the majority OF cyclers care
for Il horse just as much as before
the silent steed came into being.
Many of them own a wheel who
would not W a horse. but the wheel,
even ii built for two, is not so agree
able after all as holding the lines be-
hind a glossy coated, lightly-stepping
horse. Electric motors for carriages
r talked Of, but they will be ex-
pensive for a long time yet, and un-
til their proficiency is somewhat adj
vanccd from the present stage a man
even with a balky horse would be
less helpless in ase of accident. .
The noble, intelligent horse will
not be lost sight of in the advance OF
civilization. Relief from the heavier
duties will leave the more energy for
the driving, of which every American
citizen of means and leisure is fond.
Whatever question their may he as
to the morality OF advantages of
horse racing, the improvement of tM,
trotter has made the animal more
%serviceable for the legitimate uses Of
man. If anyone believes that the
interest in the horses Is to give place
before the inroads OF electricity, let
him attend some great s'horse con-
vention." and note the attention paid
the splendid specimens of endurance
and intelligence there on exhibition.
Boston Journal.