Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-02-27
TRAIN HARNESS
HORSES ON ICE
Canadians Work Trotters and PAGERS
From Time Snow Falls.

from lime SNOW fdlS.
Those trainers of ~trotters and PAGERS
who find difficulty in getting their
charges ready for the early meetings
OF the grand circuit, which never
opens until June is almost over.
should go to Canada during the Win
ter months and take a leaf from the
experience book of their fellow horse
men of the north.
From the time the snow comes their
trotters and PAGERS are kept at work,
and by Christmas, when the ice racing
season begins they are ready to go as
many heats as are necessary to get
the money. When the snow and ice
disappear In the early spring the
horses have a short letup. but the mo-
taent the half mile tracks are fit to
drive on the work of preparation for
the spring, summer and autumn cam
paign IL resumed. the meetings on a
majority Of the tracks being sched-
uled to open on May "A, known
throughout Canada as Victoria day.
Does tho Horses No Harm.
The fashionable trainers who find 1t
necessary to spend the winter months
at Memphis, Tenn; Macon. Ga, or In
California would probably be afraid to
subject their pets to the supposed
rfgors Of the Canadian climate, but the
trainers of the northwest say that the
cold, bracing atmosphere n the
short, sharp work on the snow or Ice
are beneficial to the horses reared
there and point to The Eel. General
Ell. and other star performers as proof
that the argument is sound. There Is
one thing certain. when the grand cir
cult opens the horses from all parts
Of Canada are as fit as those nurtured
in the south and often filter.
For ice trotting the horses are, of
course, SO shod that there is little
chance for a mishap. There are calkins
of razor edge sharpness to hold the
horse firmly on the snow or Ice, and
these beg6t confidence to an unusual
degree. They are placed one at the
toe crosswise and one on either fiange,
running iengthwise at the heel. As
the trotter or PAGER marches over the
frozen surface of the road or track
these cut with a sharply defined 4
sscheep. cheep." at each step, and the I
sound Of a bunch of horses racing is
inspiring.
Purses Max. II Worth While. :
The ice meetings arranged through A
,ut Canada have sufficient money add
d to make it worth while training
md racing q good horse. The paraes
md stakes at Ottawa, the capital Of
.hs Dominion. are sanscaa11y suostan- n
&lh4 s.ericans
---~~-s border expecting -
ynsNs have Invariably been surprised
Il the caiiber of the horses. At Otta-
ga the course Is on the Ottawa river,
and thousands of enthusiasts crowd
th1 enclosure. Speculation ss unra- q
and many thousands OF doll I
change hands during the meeting. !
Al Montreal and some other points
the horses rae over a half mile
course which has been especially pre-
pared. The surface is scraped until a
Sas * Ice or hard snow is secured. \
and this in turn is sprayed and sprin-
killed. till the desired footing IL obtain
ed. Comfortable quarters with every
accommodation for man and beast
are always provided. and the horses
are rubbed dry III stalls where the
temperature is about the same as
would prevail In the open in June.
Naturally great care Is taken that none
of them catches cold. and the drivers
are in their seats before the doors are
opened.
Scoring Is Very Brief.
? There is no nonsense once the horses
are out upon the track, as all are
anxious to get away. The scoring.
therefore. is not tedious. When the
horses appear a bell rings. and those
who have been buying pools or pat
ronizing the r~efreshment booth come
trooping through the doors and take
their positions in the cherries grand
stand. They are warmly clad. many
OF them wearing coats of beaver or
raccoon fur, with here and there a man
who wants to be unusual and whose
coat Is of seal Some OF them are be-
grit with muticolored sashes, and this
touch of pi-cturesaueness recalls the
early days Of the voyager whose scarf
was his pride The drivers are wrapped
as snugly as the spectators, n zero
weather has apparently no terrors for
anybody connected with the sport.