The Washington herald., 1911-10-08
ing a Delicate Operation on
Thoroughbred

r. HERE came out of the West in the days Of
Morris Park 4 old sport, who had just
one horse patched up cripple named Daniel
r. At tho bush meetings in the Middle West
and the trans-NIi$sissippi country Daniel b,
had been occasional winner but he not looked
upon as having much chance against the higher class
horses Of the East. He had fair of speed. but
his legs bad and. in addition. his throat had
been operated and a silver tube inserted in his
wfndpire
One day the old sport entered Daniel B. in cheap
selling race and Daniel B. made show of his field
A. is customary the winner put up at auction.
Some thought Daniel 3. was a bargain and bid
him up Daniel was sold to him. The old sport
had idea any one would try to buy the cripple and
apparently did appreciate what was happening
until the judge, acting auctioneer said Sold
When the purchaser, having paid the money led
Daniel B. away the old sport shouted, Hold on,
there You bought the horse but the silver belongs
to me-" Thereupon he took the silver tube out of the
horses throat and marched of. Without the silver
tube Daniel s. could pump enough air into his
lungs galop block The new owner who up to
that time did not know about the tube apologzed sold
silver tube went back into Daniel BIS wipdpipe
Surgery applied to the lower animals has ad-
vanced very much since the Daniel B. affair." but
the obscure veterinarian who operated on Daniel B.
certainly artist The silver tube has been
tried many Thoroughbred horses roarers particu-
lary, but it hardly can be called a success. Roar
ing is caused by a partial paralysis of the left re-
4 DIoca md
when horses raced they take a lot Of air iBto
their lungs. Nature equps the horse with screen
in his throat through which comparatively few par
ticles of dust pass. The surgeons have screens Oh
the silver tubes they put into the windpipes of
horses. but the clog and restrict breathing
Somehow the man made screen does not give such
good service as the queer one nature provides.
One odd result of the action of the New York
Legislature in suppressing betting race tracks
may be the checking temporarily of veterinary
surgery of the most advanced kind upon thorough
breds Racing in America had been developed along
abnormal lines. The richest prizes of the running
turf were for the two year ods-the immature and
growing In forcing the youngsters through
campaigns turfmen frequently called nature
to do too much To smash records, tracks were made
harder. 1t is doubtful whether there any real
improvement in class through these methods.
A very great many. perhaps majority. of thor
oughbred horses in the United States are unsound.
Excessive racing Of the twoyear-old is held respon-
sible in the main for this condition. The horse
a racing machine, sacrificed for the passing
glory Of a new record though breeders both public
and private. and sportsmen were far from
neglectful of the reason for racing which is that
through it a standard of superiority might be de-
termined on The inhrmites of horse. however
grew into large business for the skiful veterinary
surgeon. for 50 long as horse can be patched up
he may serve as money getter. And the vets"
IN meeting he demands of turfmen, have made dis
:overics and performed operations undreamed of
generation two ago
1t is supposed that when race horse breaks
bone-an important bone-he is done for. Generally
he Is but there have been some remarkable instances
of recovery through the veterinarians skill. James
B. Haggins mighty horse waterboy, the greatest son
of the great Watercress and of the best horses
the turf ever has bad had a fall at Morris Park as
three-year-od. breaking his hip bone. The portion
Of bone broken was not large but the break was at
a socket Few human beings ever were more deli
cately nursed than was waterboy. He was suspended
in sings for long time recovered so completely
that in the following year he was the champion of
the turf What infinite care must have been given
to the case of this horse can be appreciated only by
those who know the difficulty in treating race horses
Whatever there is of nervousness in horse is sccen.
tuated to the highest degree in the race horse
sensitive imperious and impatient. be is far direr
ent from the colder booded trotter or the ordinary
animal In fact operations that can be performed