The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-25
NERVOUS RACE HORSES.
THE EQUINE FAMILY TERY MUCH
LIKE THE HUMAN KIND.

Tiu,erous characteristics Are Sometimes In-
Observation-Disclosures or soms Horsen.en RE-
sponsibio for Others-Horsea Know when
They Arc Being Prepared for - Contest
The finding Of the stewards Of tho Jockey
Club In the case Of The Friar, tho winner of tho
Realization Stakes, has caused many persons
who know little about race horses to express
astonishment that horses should possess such
things as nerves, and that they should DO gov
erned by much the same conditions as human
beings. Men who arc familiar with the turf
know that there are as many variations Of tenn
permanent In the equine as in the human family,
and that the Same treatment will rarely serve
for any two horses.
The: strong claim which Trainer Walden adj
vanced for The Friar's vagaries OF form,
which undoubtedly saved him from punish
ment at the hands of the racing powers. was tho
extreme nervousness Of the son of Friar's Bal
sam. Mr.. Walden said In his testimony that
The Friar was one of tho most ner vous horses
no had over seen on q race track. and that tho
colt unquestionably inherited the characteristic
from his dam, the Longfellow marc Lizzie
Baker. In speaking Of Lizzie Baker in q state
mont issued to the press and the public, the
trainer referred to this mare as the most ner.
vous thoroughbred 10 had ever handled. He
had known her to become so thoroughly unstrung
on tho eve Of q contest that she would lose en-
tirely the control Of her hind parts and would
drag her legs helplessly after her. Much Of her
disposition, he argued. had passed to Tho Friar.
1t Ia q well.known fact that "A great many Of
the most prominent performers on the turf
know when they are going to be raced, and they
will do nothing but pace about in their stalls,
break out into sweats, and betray all Of the ner-
vous anxiety which a schoolboy entering in his
a,.k ..a. rt,ny,. H. 10 oil trn,,b1;.- .a a..
stands at tho mark waiting for the pistol.
Every nerve Is vibrating in spite of tho firmly
set teeth and the clcnched hands. 1t takes a
season or two to overcome this, and some Of our
beat athletes never overcome it. Only men of
Malcolm W. Ford's type are steady on the
mark. and it's only the cool-headed, phlcgmatic
mombera OF the horse family that go into q con-
test without any tremblings or quakings.
Old campaigners can tell by the manner In
which they arc being handled when they arc
to race, and on the eve Of the battle many Of
them will refuse their food. The sight of q
silken jacket Is enough to set sc me of them
trembling, and the sound Of the band or a field OF
horses In motion Is a common cause Of nervous
ness in thoroughbreds. At the post they are
all eagerness TO be away and some Of them arc
endowed with almost human intelligence. They
realize when they have the best or tho worst Of
a break as quickly and ofttimes quicker than
lhth iluCLS. iNO ~ obpDt w NAAb Y
culiarity in n number of instances last winter
at New Orleans, where.an electric machine was
an-bred named X. Q. Ban. This horse was as fleet
as the wind for five furlonss, and whlie quiet
enough until the tiiue came for II start, when The
barrier came down no was transformed. Hp
tremblo, muscles would be all a-quiver and he
would be the picture, of nervous excitement.
with the speed Of the wind.
There Is scarcely a trainer at any Of the largo
f-aala In thA tntni n NntC \.gl -. anNll
not tell o story OF nervous horses which have
boon in their stables. For many years the judges
daily with applications from trainers OF horses
to have them saddled at the home quarters In
stead of in the common paddock kept for al
animals that raced on any particular day. Per.
mission was easily obtained for years. but Of
lato the stewards have frowned upon the Gus
vantage Of their Kindness and abused the priv
ilege. and nowadays a man must prove that he
has an unusually ,tinorous racer TO gain the
boon he asks. And even then the horse must
balance " tho aeid to the post.
raced around New York is the Brookdale three,
year-old Elktns. Nature, intended this son OF
Cncas for q flrst-class colt, but the moment he
Is on the tapis he breaks out into n p~rofuse per
spiration,. dances to the post, and then exc,
cutes elaborate figures until the froth drops
from him In buckctfuls. In this way he has
ruined his chances in n number OF big stakes,
for, he wastes his energies before tho flag falls
tAAAA NV ~ tAS -SNSooeA I'LL bA W
show his true form.
Stimulents of various kinds have for years
been tried with varying results on horses Of the
nervous type. but this, 1t seems, would be a
mistaken way to deal with the weakness. 1t
Is like adding fuel to fro to pour whiskey or
sherry down the gullet Of u cruzy brute in whose
head wheels arc already revolving so rapidly
that he is dazod by the buzz as they speed round
and round. For currish or craven.hcarted
thoroughbreds a good stout slug Of whiskey
has been known to work wonders, and some oI
them are so aristocratic in their tastes thai
nothing but champagne will satisfy them.
Trainers are compelled TO resort to all sorts
of strategy with tho nervous horses in their
charge. 1t Ia not an Unfamiliar sight TO find
horses going to the post with hoods on their
they can see nothing but a limited space di
rectly in front of them. Some even go further
lnd, stufing the ears Of the horses with cotton. tic
strings about them to shut of all sound. THU
equipped and with a good strong jockey ABOARD
tho money Is sought on the turf. Tea Tray Is a
well-known performer that ran thus rugged fol
years, but 1t wasn't nervousness that bothered
Tea Tray; 1t was plain Cussedness.
A good deal oil tho so-called nervousness Il
inherited, but there is no doubt that faulty
breaking and cruel stable management have Z
good deal to do with il. some men would ruiz
the best dispositioned colt or hlly IL not care
fully watched, and no owner can afford to EN-
ploy q trainer, rubber, or exercise boy whc
speaks harshly or strikes the horses in Their
charge. Kindness should be tho watchword
nyarY,yhoea a~l ,yhnn tina hpraa 1na rna that l..