The Washington herald., 1907-10-13

ing us at the first step the impression
that here We are not at Chantilly.
THE Yankee lad. or subordinate IF the
Yankee trainer, has quite a different
bearing from that Of the English lad.
He Is not striving 10 appear as a gentle
man. and the entirely spOrtive trappingS
and accouterments. caps, serge jackets,
breeChes. and leggings Of poTkskins. were
not found by US 10 be worn at ST. Louis
de-Poissy.
Contrary TO the English, the Ameri-
cans keep their horses as much as pos
sible in the open air, and do not store
them all day in dark and close stalls. At
a distance We see them drawn up in bat
tie array ike q line Of cavalry. one does
not give in We take advantage Of this
incident 70 inform ourselves.
Training Is Practical.
'The purpose Of the daily exercise is
not only to keep the horses supple. but
also TO make their character more steady
and TO get them into the habit Of remain
ing in contact with their neighbors while
they are under the orders of the starters.
When al last all have been Gained down,
order is given 20 break the line loose,
and. to our surprise. the entire troop
starts at a small. slow gallop, in one Of
the most picturesque but also one Of
the most practical IliX-ups In the Eng
lish stables the colts are seen in Indian
file at from % TO 150 feet one from the
other. Evidently such a method is in
spired by fear Of accidents but Il offers
the inconvenience of not preparing the
horses for the brutal contact with others
IN the race.
Here it is estimated that the training
should tend to educate the horse with a
view to the hipp0drome. In consequence
one tries 10 give the horse during the eX-
ercise itself a lesson which shall be
profitable for its training.
1T is a fact that the young colts go in
playful way but very calm, well placed,
and under the full control Of their riders,
without TIE least disorder appearing in
their close line This training exercise
and the entire light work are done on the
sand. The rapid gallops are accomplished
on the grass
N Romaine describes the training ex-
ercise at sSlnt length, laying particular
stress upon the fact that the horses are
left outside as long as possible after the
work is done. Before their return to
the stalls" he says, they are walked
long time, led by hand under sieve-like
coverings which are spread over the en-
tire horse, permitting the free access Of
air to the body and protecting it from
flies. From time TO time the animal is
given m0uthful Of water
Great Care with Horses.
7 have been told that this dosing Of
the horse with the beverage is. one Of the
tricks proving the superiority Of the
trainers. I admit my incapacity to dis
cuss this question. The exercise. the
walk, led by hand, the grooming, take at
least three hours by the clock" he con-
tinues. with some wonder, during which
time the horses remain in the open. If
this be not sufficient they are taken out
again In the afternoon"
Summing up with regard to American
methods of training, NJ. Romaine saws
that, saving the rule to keep the horses
In the open as much as possible. the prin-
ciple seems to be to treat each animal
according 70 his temperament and to vary
the method as occasion reduires-"so
many different horses, so many different
ways Of doing''-is the way he puts II
This is true of the Vanderbilt stables to-
day, under Hughes. But to-day the m
der trainer is an Englishman named
Platt and he wears the "Ieggings of
porkskln" and otherwise attires himself
as men of his nationality and calling
generally do. He is a highly competent
man, however. He came here with Duke
the head trainer. and since their arrival
nearly al the buildings have been re-
placed by new ones; new waterworlks
and an electric light plant have been put
in. and the surface of the entire encIos
ure, which formerly was undulahng. so
that the tracks We're not without grades
has been equallzed and made almost as
fiat as a floor.
It is in doing all this work that the
''one hundred, sometimes two hundred
men Of Poissy. as stated by my cab
driver, have been employed by the estab-
lishment to the gratitude and largely to
the support of all Poissy and its en-
virons. The building of the new cas-
tle' has employed many local workmen,
also. These men and the local trades