Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-28
RACE HORSES
ARE INTELLIGENT
TRAINERS REQUIRE YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE
Sensitive Animals Are caprieIous and
No Set Rule Exists ss Regard
ina Training Opera
tlons

the following version or equine intel
lgence:
race horse Is a sensitive thing,
capricious as a spoiled child or a pet
ted woman. Years of experience are
required before most men understand
a thoroughbred thoroughly, and then
one is not to be judged by the way an
other will act under given crcum-
stances.
No exact rule can be laid down,
but to get best results a trainer must
know every popularity Of each one
of his charges.
Horses have been known to take a
dislike to certain men, and 1t would
be necessary for the person marked
by their dlspleasure only to come IN
sight to see an exhibition of vicious
ness like some untamed animal might
show.
No mater how bad disposition a
horse may have, however, there will
be found soft spot in his nature for
some other living being.
= Some horses make pals of their kind
others form an attachment for a man
or a boy attached to the stable. The
majority will become so violently at
tached to dog, a goat, or even a cat
that they will insist upon having these
smaller animals in the stall with them.
Walter Jennings has a small Shet-
land pony that he always keeps in the
stable, and that vicious old brute
Proper refuses to parade to the post
unless the pony Is sent along to keep
him company as far as the judges
stand.
The pony in itself is a useless piece
of race track furnishing, but Jennings
carries 1t across the continent with
his stable twice a year, just because
not only old Proper, but other race
horses in the string have come to make
a pet of their diminutive cousin.
One of the most useful stable pets
that I ever knew was a bull terrier
belonging to the stable of Newton Ben
nngton, and this same dog proved a
hero at least once in his career. 1t
was in the winter time when the rae
ing season in New York was over.
The Bennington string was quartered
at Gravesend in charge of Fred Bur-
/. lew, who has been racing useful
stable at New Orleans this season
owned by himself and frankie O'Neil,
who up to little over year ago was
the stable jockey and one of the best
saddle artists in the land
ncSCucu ny DuIi IcTTleT
At the time Burlew was wintering
the Bennington string at Gravesend
about the most useful performer in the
stable was horse called Royal, which
since has almost come to be forgotten.
.-ss..-.ss, .s.,sss. well known, for
great net with Royal was the
blear-eyed bull terrier which slept in
his stall. All the affection that the
stables star performer ever lavished
upon his canine friend was repaid one
afternoon when a fire broke out in the
back room of the stable
1t was late in the day and the stable
help had bedded down the stall
and gone away. There was no one
around the place but negro boy.
When the fire WAS discovered natur-
allv II was the fist thought of the boy
to save Royal hs being the most valu-
able thing in tie outfit.
The boy wet to. the ctall, but the
horse already had smell of the smoke
and a sight a the flames, and nothing
frightens a lorse more than a hre.
fused to allow the boy to come near
him lashirg out with his heels and at
temnting % bite. Thus there was no
cbance III drive or lead him out of
danger. Finally the lad gave up in
despair and went out to try to save
some fother horses.
1.-THE excitement he and the others
NO came to the rescue forgot all about
Old Royal until everything else in the
Ahfay of horseflesh had been taken out
or danger, and then Burlew, who had
arrived by this time, asked after his
chief breadwinner
He was making a frantic dash back
towards the barn when out of the vol
ume of smoke came the blear-eyed bull
terrier leading Royal bv the halter
strap. The horse followed the dog out
of danger when he would not be led
by human being.
DIR. Leggo, who is also as good an all
round piece Of horsefleshFas ever raced
In California, has great liking for
Solomon Bonner, the negro jockey who
piloted him in many of his races as a
2-year-old and 3-year-old.
When Bonner was restricted from rid
ing after a dispute as to who held q
contract on him, DR.. Leggo did not run
| the same races he had been wont to
show for some time afterward.
or course he got over missing the
homely little black after a time, just
as we ali forget our griefs, but to show
that horses have long memories it is
worth while to cite a meeting between
DR.. Leggo and Bonner after they had
been parted more than six months.
-, Leggo Welcomes Bonner
When Bonner was set down he was
sent to the ranch of Adolph Spreckels
at Napa, CAL The racing season being
over in California, McCafferty took Leg
go and the rest of the string east for
a campaingn on the summer tracks.
Bonner stayed on the farm in Cali
fornia, broke yearlings and grew fat
In the fall DR.. Leggo came back to
z the Oakland track, where he had won
his best races, and one day Bonner
was given a holiday and visited the
racetrack where he had made a name
Tor himself. OF course one of the first
things he did was to visit the Nc
Cafferty stable and the stall of DR..
Leggo.
III ever horse showed anything like
human intelligence it was DR.. Leggo
when Bonner came to his stall. The
TWO met and greet each other just
as would two long separated friends.
Inc morse showed his joy by his
whinnies and many shakes of his head
ana the look Of pleasure could be seen