The times., 1900-12-23

When the owner of a string of thorough
bred racehorses decides to send the AMI
| mails from one part OF the country to an
| other he takes more pains in arranging
| for their comfort than he does for his own
| for similar journey. The millionaire
railroad president does not travel in more
| luxury over his own road than the race
is fitted up with all those things which
he loves most-thick straw under foot,
soft. padded walls ON either side of him
and ventilators over his head to give the
fresh air as essential to his well-being
as his daily exercise. Every bit of his
food is picked over before it is given to
him, and with him night and dag are
men whose keen eyes are ready to note
the slightest sign of indisposition on his
part.
The owners of valuable racing stock are
not over fond of trusting their breadwia-
ners to the risks of railroad journey,
which they and other humans may be will
ing to take at any time for highly bred
racers are as nervous as old women, and it
takes only a little out OF the ordinary to
put them on edge. They are apt to fret
and fume during the first few hours OF
railroad journey until they make them
sickness. But as horse racing Is a money
making business and the scene OF action is
constantly changing. the man who wants
to play the game the year round must shift
with 1t. No owner can afford to have his
horses lying idle for months each year 1t
is only extraordinary animals like Tenny
Salvador, Domino, Tammany Lamplighter
and Hamburg that can rest all the fall and
winter and race only in the big spring and
CtI ,lrf1f ton no l.
used with horses Of this rare type, for
their record is what makes them valuable
when their racing days are over and they
have retired to the stud.
With the others 1t is different They
stay for the most part right in New York
during the long spring, summer, and fall
seasons of racing here but when the laws
of the State say that racing must stop
they must seek new fields. The exodus at
the close OF the New York season is for
Washington. After that many go to New
Orleans for the balance Of the winter.
Still others go to the West, while the rest
go to the Southern tracks. In this way
the race horse is kept constantly on the
move, and 1t has become necessary to ac-
coinplish the work of moving him with
just as little shock to his delicate nervous
system as possible.
Just after the close of the racing at the
Aqueduct track recently there was a
movement on Washington, where the Ben
ming season was about TO OPEN The close
of the Aqueduct meeting marked the close
of the season in this neighborhood, and
left idle some 800 high class horses, al
most all in training. Most of the owners
decided to go to Washington and on
Thursday night, November 10, 12S horses
were shipped over the Pennsylvania rail-
road, while IA went by the same route
on the following Friday morning. The
average person who reads of the ship
ment of p lot OF race horses probably
imagines that they are packed into a hur-
riedly prepared freight car and hustled
TO their destinations like a lot of farm
cattle. II may interest some people to
know just how the thoroughbred is ship
ped in these days, when providing luxury
for beast as we'll as man is made busi-
ness by big corporations.
One of the big express companies, whose
main Offices are in this city. makes a
specially of this work and keeps cars
which are never used for anything else
This company has an agent, who never
misses day at the race track during the
season here, and attends to the shipping
of all thoroughbreds. His company gets
all the business anyhow, and his pres
ence at the race track is not really neces-
branch of the business and it was his
brain that devised the many little things
which are done for the comfort of travel
ing horses nowadays. So il is considered
best that he shall always be on the scene
The owners Of the horses are grateful
enough to pay, without murmuring, the
high rates which are charged for the
transportation of racing animals from one
place to another.
The cars in which the thoroughbreds are
placed are built especially for the pur-
pose. They look very much like ordinary
freight cars from the outside but inside
they are fitted with every conceivable de-
vice to make easier the troubles of the |
travelling racer The wheels of the cars
are OF the most modern. improved and |
easy running kind, and the bodies are
mounted on the same springs that one
finds so comfortable on Pullman when |
a train is going sixty miles an hour. In
side are a succession of stalls, in each
OF which is a great heap of fresh straw
which is changed every few hours. Every |
thing around is padded SO that all the !
lurchinP that comes cannot result in seri- |
GUS injury to the occupant of the stall |
There is a gangway running past the |
stalls and al either end compartments fer |
the men and boys whose duty it is to |
watch the horses night and day during |
the journey. There are water tanks and |
places for the storing of food, ample ven |
tilation and light, and altogether about |
everything that horse could ask for If |
he had the power OF speech.
So much for the car More interesting |
Is the preparation that the horse has to |
before starting. In the first |
place he gets last leg stretcher up and |
down the track Then he is rubbed down |
from head to foot and thoroughly |
groomed. His legs are tightly bound up |
In medicated flannel. for they are very |
delicate parts of a very delicate machine. |
and the fracture OF one means the death |
Of the horse The flannel bindings take off |
A lot of the strain and act as protection |
against possible collisions with things not |
padded. The tail Is carefully wrapped and |
the name is braided and nothing is more |
important than that these things should |
be done we'll TanRle the hair on the name |
Or tail of a thoroughbred racer in training |
and he Will become so nervous and fret
ful over it that he Will make himself sick |
He has to be kept up to a certain stan
1ar1 of cleanliness and ueatness. and if |
allowed to fail below it is almost certain
10 show the result at once in a decline in
health. Even neglect to wash out his
mouth It regular intervals will result in a
'retfulness that may upset all the work OF |
weeks of training.
This nervous side of the race horse Is
,ery interesting. To do the best work he
S capable OF the thoroughbred must be
rained to very fine edge, and when in
hat condition the least thing cut of the
disturbs him. Horses have been
lnown TO be white with foam twenty min
ties after starting on railroad journey.
md car sickness has killed many a fine |
'acer. ThoroughLreds in training are used
o certain handlers and if anyone else |
.c,,Hs arnund fbayy Iil-a II This |