The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1895-02-22
GYMNASTICS FOR HORSES.

elers, Brattlebor0.
GYMNASTICS FOR HORSES.
A veteran Horse Trainer Thinks Trotti.S
Records Can No Reduced.
~ have invented ways and means to
Introduce the horse to series Of gym
nastics which will shorten the time
many seconds on trotting records, and
there Is no reason why a we'll bred horse
subjected to my gymnastio exercises
cannot make a mile in two minutes,
said Professor Bartholomew, the horse
educator, recently at Independence to
humber Of horse fanciers.
Wonderful advancement has been
made in breeding and training horses
during the past 40 years. but with soien-
tifio gymnastics added to q horses train
Ing it Ii sure to catse yet greater sur
prises in record breaking The human
body has been wonderfully developed by
gymnastic exercises, as every one knows,
and had this idea Of gymnastics been
introduced in the training Of horses
years ago" Professor Bartholomew con
tinued, greater advancement would
have been made along the lines Of speed
and endurance
IA horse can trot quarter Of mile
now in 80 seconds, and it stands to rea.
con that II horse can make record Of
. quarter of mile In 90 seconds, and
ii has been done, he can be put in con-
dition to 90 mile a. the same rate Of
speed. Crack drivers have failed to put
their horses in the proper condition SO
far, and it is very doubtful II the pres
bnt system Of training trotting horses
will ever bring about two minute rec
ord or less.
. "Some will ask, How can horse
work in gymnastics, But if the princi-
pie had been grasped by horsemen years
ago it wonld have undoubtedly been put
In use. have the principle without
mistake, and winter is the time to do
the work. In winter horses. as a rule,
are losing speed instead Of gaining.
1.-THE exercise subject horse to
will result in activity and long reach
and will cause running horses to make
better records as we'll as produce more
speed in trotters. / refuse to tell how
these results can be brought about, SIM
ply for the reason that some man would
undertake to practice my theory with
out Judgment and knowledge Of appli-
cation, and he would fail to produce
the desired result. The public would
condemn the principle, which have
demonstrated to my own satisfaction.
have never undertaken to prove my
theory to the trotting fraternity, but the
theory can DO demonstrated in the
course of a series of gymnastio train
ings, say. In four or Ave months, With
horse gymnastics the fieetest horse can
improve as much as the slower ones
that undergo the Same drill Every
muscle and fiber Of the horse is brought
into play, until. in prize ring parlance,
he is III the pink of condition.
IA prizefshter while in training fol
the ring has his skin. scalp and bones
hardened until he is turned into the
ring perfect man physically. Every
muscle has been exercised with view OF
endurance. He has punched the bag,
taken long runs to test his wind and
reduce fiesh-in short, the condition OF
the prizctighter is brought about by
gymnastics The same thing can be
done with horse, but the exercise o.,
| o race track won't do it, The animal
mnst have gymnastics and be brought
TO the pink Of; condition before he car
| .brenk a record. He must be taught tc
walk OIL his hind legs, to strengthen che
muscles of the back. Re must be taught
to lie down, roll over, reach out and
gather quickly-in short, he must be put
through a scientific course Of gymnas
! tics until every muscle shall be brought
into play. toughened and strengthened
To do this he must be trick horse aftel
being trained in gymnastics. Great re-
suits will follow in the way Of speee
and endurance.
Professor Bartholomew is veteran
horse trainer and has enjoyed national
reputation for years as such. He has {
rudy face. deep set blue eyes and wears
his iron gray hair brushed back from
his forehead. He resides at Independ
ence and owns one Of the handsomes
residences III that suburban city HI
/ formerly owned the greatest walking
horse in tho world. The animal coul(
cover mile IN a square heel and to,
walk in ten minutes and 60 the gai
day in and ont at the rate of six mile:
an hour The professor disposed Of thu
animal in California some years ago. =
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