The Republican journal., 1911-02-23
FOLEYSKIDNEYp PILL,
THE HOPPLED PAGER.
Eoa HAexAcne KIDNEYS AND L

Fl. H. Lee of Turf, Farm and Home
has started discussion on the use of
bopples, in which two Belfast horsemen
have participated. M. B. Smith of Pearl
Brook Farm writes:
In regard to abolishing hopples, will
say shall be mighty glad when the time
comes, which is 1915, as l understand.
We both know that hopples have done
more to cheaper horses than anything
under the sun, but l am afraid it would
be too much of hardship on people who
own them in the State to prohibit their
use without giving the owners year or
two to get rid of them. If a law could
be passed making it misdemeanor to
race horses in topples after 1911, l
should be in favor of it. | presume most
people know that trotting horse or
free legged PAGER has very little chance
of winning a race against held OF
hoppled PAGERS on half mile track. In
fact, | have found it a difficult PROPOSE
ton owing to the tactics resorted to by
the drivers of the tied legged nags,
unless the trotter or PAGER has several
seconds more speed than the hoppled
horses The idea Of making each fair
that draws stipend from the State to
give, at least, two straight trots, is
good one, as any horse lover would give
more to see a good straight trot than the
mixed up affair.
Horace Chenery of The Pasturel
writes:
There is no man who hates the hopple
worse than | do; there is no man who
believes that they do an injury to the
drivers any more than | do, IN that they
have made class of race steerers rather
than trainers and drivers. The earning
capacity of the good man has been
cheapened and horse flesh has been made
to suffer by the cheap man, and this can
be directly laid to the door of the lndi-
ana straps.
To be just, however, it seems to me
that the move should not be radical
one. The scheme of the grand circuit
for eliminating hopples is to my mind the
great move.
There are good many men who have
a good deal of money tied up in hopple
PAGERS. There are great many men in
the State of Maine who have to-day a
horse which has an earning capacity as a
race horse; but if you remove the straps
from him, he is useless. This to my
mind condemns the hopples. At the
same time, is it just to that owner to
legislate the earning capacity of his
horse out of existence?
If you say to county fairs that they
must give certain percentage of their
races without hopples, say one in three
this year, two in three next year and all
races without hopples from then on,
you will be giving the trainers and own
ers of our State an opportunity to de-
velop, train or buy other horses for rae
ing purposes and to dispose of those they
have on hand through reason of their
being out-classed, injured or sold.
The value of horse flesh will be in
creased by the abolition of topples, the
earning capacity of more horses will be
greater, brains at the head of the racing
Stable will be requisite, danger in rae
ing will be to large extent eliminated,
lots of men will lose their jobs as train
ers because they can't train without the
hopples; they haven't the ability, while
men who have the ability will have their
earning capacity increased. When all is
said and done, the hopple is mechanical
continuance to assist the driver as much
as it assists the horse.
| have one more suggestion to make,
which l should have made in the earlier
part of the letter, and that is, no horses
without records to race in hopples this
year. That would help fill the races in
which the hopples were numbered.
wish you all kinds OF success in this
movement. It certainly is in the right
direction and believe that the men who
breed, raise and own as well as race
horses, that is the men who really think.
will agree with me. l admit fright off
the reel'' that more horses will have to
be raised to make the same number OF
race horses, but that isn't bad move
for the farmer. 1t sells his hay, his
grain, it gives labor to great many
others and means money in the pockets
for everybody who handles the food stuff
that is used in the stable. The public al
large will benefit in that it will see more
interest in racing as whole and the
fields of horses will be larger.