The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-15

1 81. a
training has always been to increase the
speed of horses. and when l first began TO
drive they were then doing everything pos
sble in the way of breeding and training to
bring about this result But Of later years
it has been through the medium Of appli-
ances that they have been able to overcome
the obstacles that we formerly had to con-
tend with. These appliances, which now
greatly aid in getting every bit of speed
out of a horse, are the improvements of the
boots. harness. shoes and sulkies and The
care OF tracks which are now built on a
strictly scientific principle, so that the right
| pitch is given to them and the turns are so
made that they give horse every possible
advantage II is hard to say just how one
can train a horse for speed, because speed
! ing a horse is a strange thing. Some horses
can stand being worked often, others once
in a while, and some have natural speed
and can go a fast mile as if it were second
nature to them, but the last class is rare.
I have also seen horses that could make
! good time if all kinds of harness appliances
were resorted to to get it out of them"
Mr. Doble was asked if a horse must
necessarily be a thoroughbred TO be
markedly fast, and replied: Yes. it takes
the fne-blooded horse to make fast time.
There have been some cases where it is
said that scrub horses have made remark
able records, but if their breeding could
have been traced to their origin it would
have been found that they had good blood
in them 1t is only reasonable that the
fine-blooded horses should make the fast
ones, because they have both the endur-
ance and the action.
frT-I, -
to-day have, and which probably counts
for more than all the rest is the improve
ment in the sulky. The sulldes that are
used now have less friction and are much
lighter than the old-time affairs. The high
wheeled sulky formerly used was too much
like a wagon. When we were going around
the turn the wheels would bind and slide.
You understand the advantage with the low
sulky is that every movement the horse
makes the sulky goes with him, and
the wheels are all ball-bearing the slightest
movement will make them go around. The
drivers all contend that where the bike"
sulky is the greatest advantage is on the
turn, for it never swings enough to slide"
Mr. Doble is very optimistic in his views
regarding the future of the trotting horse.
He thinks that it is only a matter of time
when the records will be brought much
lower than they are now, and he attributes
this to the driving contrivances, which are
becoming more improved every day. He,
however, thinks that the lowering of time
now is all due to the modern methods of
track building and harness and sulky max
ing for he still holds that the horses of
the old days were as fine and well bred as
any at the present time. In speaking of
the future of the trotting horse, he said:
at is my opinion that we will yet see
the trotting horse that will go in two min
utes. 1 would not like to see the day when
this remarkable feat will be accomplished,
but it will be done some time. Notwith-
standing the many records that have been
broken and the large number of trotters
| that can go a fast mile to-day, 1 dom
think the horses are superior to the ones
had thirty years ago The only DIT
ference is that there are more of them
now than then So it proves again that
it is not the breeding and the training of
modern horses that gives them their speed,
but il is the aid furnished them by the
modern toe weights, boots and other APP
pliances. Just to illustrate the advantage
the horse of to-day has over the horse of
what might be called the old school,
will cite the case Of Flora Temple, the
queen of the turf in 1859. Now, she had
record of 2:19A and never went to a
sulky Weighing less than ninety pounds
while to-day horses are trotting to sukies
weighing not more than twenty-five or thir-
ty-five. You see, there is a difference OF
fifty-five pounds. which is considerable for
a horse in to pull. Supposing Flora
Temple had been hitched to one of these
bike sulkies and given all of the adj
vantages of toe weights, boots and harness
which the horses now enjoy, there is no
telling what she could have done, because
when one stops to think her record was
remarkable when we take into considera-
ton the load she was pulling The truth
is there is no telling what any Of the old
horses like Lady Suffolk, George NJ. Pat
chen, Dexter, Goldsmith Maid and a num-
Der of others could have done hitched as
the horses are now, for, in my opinion,
, they were just as great as any we have to-
day.
EASIER TO DRIVE NOW.
1T is much easier to drive horses now
than it used to be-" Mr.. Doble went on tc
. say, because it was then all between the
horse and driver, while to-day the boots
and other things help out to a considerable
extent. In those days there was no such
thing as toe weights thought of to balance
a horse in his gait and ankle boots to pro
tect him from interfering were also un.
heard Of Even when these things were
first made they were so crude that theI
: were of little use in driving. In fact it has
, only been within the last few years that
such things have been so far perfected
that they really help a horse But ever
with all this aid at the present time 1 dom
want it inferred that 1 mean by the drivine
= being easier that there is no art in drivine
! now, for there certainly u.s. This art con
, sists in so thoroughly knowing your horse
I that you can tell by every movement hi
makes just how he feels and what h,
( means by it. 1t is, after all. only by thi.
means that man can make any success.
Of driving"
When asked what is his favorite gait fol