Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-08-17
Make the Colts Good walkers.

While riding through Aroostook Coun.
ty last week We CHANGED to meet gen.
| tleman who is raising few colts for the
market. He took us in behind hand
some up headed, stylish five-year-old
that would weigh something like 1000
pounds, was we'll put up, and could trot
quite sharp gait, say right around three
minutes, which seemed to be about his
limit, but he was q remarkably poor
walker, in fact, for young, active, ap-
parently high lived horse he was about
the meanest walker we ever sat behind.
After speeding him up and down the
street few times the owner took sweep
out through the country where the roads
were somewhat hilly, and incidentally
asked US what such horse ought to
bring. Such question is good deal
like having woman ask you If you do
not think Charlie would make good boy
in your Office. We were rather stuck
for an answer and finally were obliged to
tell the man that the price that his colt
would bring would depend very largely
upon the customer, and then we tried as
kindly as possible to demonstrate what
we meant If a man wanted q good look
ing horse to trot him up and down the
highway in the village this horse was
worth $500 or $500. If he wanted good
looking horse to road him off in the
country from six to ten miles an hour,
over ordinary country roads, he wasn't
worth his board, and we told him frankly
that we would not pay the freight on
him to Waterville for our own driving,
and yet the horse had good many good
qualities, was sound, kind and fearless,
three very essential qualities nowadays,
but he wouldn't 60 up a hill as fast as
you could back loaded team, and in
stead of improving as he travelled he got
leg weary and grew worse instead OF bet
ter.
Now of course, there are exceptions,
and there are colts that never could be
gait of the average horse is purely an
acquired one, and colt should be taught
to walk fast and prompt before he is al
lowed to trot step, and unless he gets
his education in walking before he knows
anything about trotting he never will get
it at all. This horse that We rode after
would have been worth $500 or 5000 If
with his other accomplishments he had
been an extra good walker. and he would
have been worth $500 or $400 If he had
been just an average walking horse. Moth
ing is more restful or enjoyable for the low
er of good horse than to ride after him at
the walking gait, if it is fast, easy, nat
ural gait, and there is something that
should be taken into account by those
who are engaged in raising horses for the
market. We know an old fellow who
raised great many steers and in break
ing them he always used pair of horses
on ahead of them, so as to give them the
practice of walking quickly in their work.
SO successful was he in this that his oxen
and steers became famous for their abili-
ty to walk Gas fast as the average horse"
When cattle were much used on the road
this was very desirable publication.
What we say in regard to training
horses to walk fast applies equally to all
classes and breeds. No heavy horse used
for draught purposes should be allowed,
much less compelled to trot step, load
ed or light, hence the Importance of hav-
ing the draught horses good walkers, OF
all others. 1t doesn't make any differ
ence whether it is speed horse, show
horse or an every day business horse, q
good walker is worth from 20 to so per
cent. more than an Indifferent walker,
everything else being equal, and in
great majority of cases there Is nothing
easier than to train colt to walk fast If
you only teach him this gait before you
try to make a trotter of him. Remem-
Der, please, that the walking gait should
always be first. Then If he happens to
have any speed it is easy enough to devel-
op him, but if he is failure as trotter,
he is almost dead sure to be as a walker
if you attempt to reverse the order of
his adncatinn -Tnrf Farm and Home