The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-07


whole. then they used to be, hut there is
sin room for Improvement in a good
many of them. The public Is treated 70
yarns, mostly of the fake order, about
the wonderful Intelligence Of noted horses,
and they alonost iaya riabiy are described
as being family pets, when as matter
Of fact the reverse is generally the case
The three trotting champions OF ne
present day--Leu Dillon among the mares.
Major Deirnar among the geldings, and
Cresceus among the stallions-are 1air
average as to equine dispositions. Lou
Dillon is e. real pet, but DelTnaF and the
Cresceus horse are mean" and could
easily be made man killers. Indeed, the
story goes that. the Ohio stallion did
seriously If not fatally in1ure a boy sew
eral years ago, but yet during his racing
career he was, taken care Of by a shghJ,
weak-looking young man named EDDIE
Mitchell, and appeared 70 be traetabIe
enough when the lightweight attendant
was at the end Of the halter, even on
occasions when he was paraded before
thousands OF people and there were the
usual noises that go with affairs Of that
sort.
Cresceus has been described by his late
owner, George II. Ketcham, as a horse
of strong likes and dislikes, not given to
making friends, but not cross or in any
way dangerous TO strangers. To those
who have charge Of him, Mr.. Ketcham
says, he shows loVable disposition and
an interest in them that is truly remark
able. AS a rule stations are rather
more intelligent than geldings or mares,
and but for the fact that they are usual
ly sluggish when driven alone, would be
the best road horses, es they are not
easily frightened. In fact, the average
stallion colt when being driven on the
road Will want to investigate a street car
or automobile instead of shying at it
Major Delmar was kept a stallion until
years old, and in his third year was
already fast trotter for that age. TAX
ing a record Of 2:15 with such ease that
he looked like a PIP horse. But even
then he had developed a most vicious
temper, and he was made a gelding with
the idea that he would become more
tractable. But for awhile there was not
much Improvement, and when ne was
racing as a and 6-year-Old IL took three
men to hitch him up, and even then he
was trying to kick somebody most Of the
time, while his manners in the stall were
bad. Doe Tanner, who has had charge
of the horse since Mr.. Billings bought
Delmar, tells me that the great geIdings
temper has changed for the better. but
he is still "a mean horse around the
barn, although when httChed up most
any fair reinsman can drive him at
speed.
Lou Dillon Is pet. In the stall she is
as clever as poodle deg. and likes moth
ing better than to estertain visitors,
whereas Cresceus and Delmar would scat
ter crowd instanter. Lou, although
fldgety and nervous on the track, espe-
cially when II is desired to make her go
at a slow gait, is safe for 'a woman to
drive on the road, and If there is any
thing capable Of soaring her it is yet to
be discovered. In fact, when she is
shipped from one city to another as good
/ a way as any to send her from the track
! to the railroad station is to put a boy on
/ her back, and there is no occasion to be
/ particular about her wearing a bride. as
a halter will do just as we'll and a saddle
I Orrld HA kr,lIr ssFg4N arFt hF4H
equipped. Lou will walk sedately through
| the streets Of The largest cities, looking,
as she pIOds along, more like some lady s
! phaetOn mare bound for q summer resort
than the champion trotter Of the world
a mare that is all nerves when on the
race track and that on the road could
| be driven by an infant
Lou Dillon, by the way, is one OF the
/ few intelligent horses that are not also
mean. Any horse with a little more brain
/ than the averages soon discovers that he
/ is stronger than a man, ana sooner or
later makes use of the fact, the result be-
| ing a runaway, q kicking match, or some
other form Of equine deV1ltry- Also, prac-
| ticaIly all horses are Of hysteTical tenn
ming away and butting into a stone wall
or leaping over precipice.
Taking the trOttfng champions from
the days Of Dexter to the present time,
there is not one that could not easily
/ have been made vicious by improper
|
gerous in spite Of all precautions. DeX-
/ ter was handy with his heels and would
/ bite man. He hated Doble, his driver,
/ as kind q man as ever sat behind a
horse, and the great reinsman never gave
4 the horse his slow work, for the reason
/ that the minute he got up Dexter would
begin TO pull and fret and refuse to take
the moderate exercise that was wanted
/ Of him Dexter remained an unsafe horse
/ for strangers to be about up to the day
| Of his death. Goldsmith Maid, that sue
/ ceeded him as champion trotter, was a
wild, harum scarum mare that was not
/ broken to harness until years Of age.
/ She was a noted fence jumper in Aer
youth, and one OF her faVOrite exploits
was to leap the fence that surrounded
/ her pasture and take moonlight eXCUr-
SiOns for miles through Orange county,
/ New York, where she was raised, always
/ coming home by daylight
I When she was the champion trOtter,
! Goldsmith Maid was not exactly a cross
mare, neither was she a pet. "Old Char
] ley" who took care of her for many
! years, and who once for five seasons slept
] in her stall every night but three had the
/ mares confidence, but nobody else did
| After she was retired and her first colt
was born nobody could get near her,
but when "Old Charley came along one
day and went to her paddock the old mare
was overjoyed nosed him all over, and
seemed to take real pride in showing him
/ her foal.
st. Julien, the next champion, was a
wild. haWky horse of the most wonderful
will power, and he was driven as much
as seventy-five miles a day over the Call
/ fornla roads in an effort TO make him
/ tractable-this after he was known to be
a fast trotter and had been sold for
/ 500 600 In every. way a kinglV horse St
Julien asserted his sovereignty in and
/ out of the stable, and no one but st.
/ Julien Bill" who was for years his care
taker and COmrade, had any influence
with him. The horse really loved Bill.
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