Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-03-16
BEAUTIES OF THE ROAD HORSE

The Horseman, if any paper, comes
very near assigning that noble animal
the horse his proper place as the servant
of man. And while it is an extremely
practical paper, there is side to it
which we would recognize distinctly as
poetic. There is poetic, if that is the
proper word. side to the horse not al
ways seen or felt by his owner. The
best of The Horseman Is not simply to
be found in its veterinary columns or IN
its accounts of races. 1t is full of that
suggestivehess which makes one feel
that the horse has another value than
simply as bread-winner or a record
breaker. The beauty, the nobleness,
of the horse are things which the Horse
man eloquently pleads for, and they
must not be overlooked.
Strong advocate as this paper is of
which constitute the road horse, and
evidently thinks that the real signifi-
canoe of the animal as such has not
been definitely ascertained. The road
horse-the ideal road horse-is much
looked-for product. If half the trainers
for the turf would convert their bust
ness into training for the road they
would be a greater blessing than they
ale. Horses which have about enough
speed to lose races, and which would
make. perhaps, desirable rOadsters, are
worried and trained on account of the
ambitions of their foolish owners until
they are almost worthless either for the
road or for the turf. The genuine race
horses are few, and ought to be few.
The time has come when you must not
let the imagination about the speed of
your horse run away with you.
There is side of life, and this side we
think should be more enthusiastically
cultivated than 1t is, which might be
called the poetic side. The business
man, OF the busy man of any profession,
should give himself very often to the
enjoyment of those things. which, it
they do not directly make for money,
make for righteousness, for beauty and
for health in more senses than in one.
While we would not disparage and I'M
dervalue the poetry in machinery, we
believe there is more poetry in the things
not formed by mems hands. Man
makes the buggy, but God makes the
4
pattern of "a buggy behind him is al
ways preferable to perfect buggy with
poor pattern of horse to draw it..
The horse has IA poetry about him which
surpasses his usefulness, and which, if
rightly appreciated by his owner, en-
hances his value in his eyes.
~ begins with stating the fact that a
horse and buggy means convenience and
comfort; and this argument is often
elaborated by more shallow additions,
such as for the purpose of display or for
the ignOble purpose of busting some
one, TO whatever purpose the road
horse may be put the poetry of enjoying
good ride behind one does not consist
simply in mis- usefulness. The real en-
thuslast driving a trOtter to a road
wagon is so taken up with his whole
outfit that he neglects to speak to the
companion at his side and does not take
notice of the beautiful things of earth or
sky while in the enthusiasm of his en-
ioyment. His eyes are upon every
motion ana action of the horse and his
cares and troubles are elsewhere. The
frictionless poetry of motion gives the
road man a genuine pleasure. No ma
chine can take the place of his horse and
buggy.
That men should give their trot,ers,
trotters too which might better be called
road horses, to be campaigned, shows
perhaps, if anything, that the sense of
tho aniOvmanf of the nOafrv In tha horse