The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-03-11
VRAIN iAkNf,SS
HORSES on ICE.
sssAdlans Work TrOtte, an; pdcers
from lime Snow Falls.

"a q
Those trainers OF tretters and PAGERS
~no find difficulty In getting their
CHARGES ready for the early meetings
o. the grand circuit which never
"Opens untn June - almost over,
---- shoule go to Canada dahnS the vim
= fivF tsf months and take leaf from the
6 y experience book OF their fellow horse
'' men OF the north.
From ths time the snow comes their
trotters and PAGERS are kept at work.
- and by Christmas. when the Ice racing
iltoyl season begins they are ready to go as
d iig many heats as are necessary to get
.---~ the money When the snow and ice
<fsappear In the early spring the
horses have a short lstup. but the mo
., isent the half mile tracks are III to
III, a.iye OH the work OF preparation for
e ---- the spring. summer and autumn cam
"a psirn ic resumed. the meetings. Oh
ute majority OF the tracks beinE seued-
uled to open on May 2i known
e throughout Canada as Victoria day.
Does the Horses no hLrr"
,.-- .rhe fashionable s-eir-.s who fioJ It
.D ~. sssary TO spend tie Ninsss ,-lvr'na
a; lcemphis. TeLl.; a'SGon. Ha.. or In
.'e.ifornia would 7.cbts,y be "srrid I"
ifl ,uhject their pes 20 ;he supposed
.no, siSors of the Cans oi.i. climate, but the
trainers OF the noIthW sst say that the
cold bracing atlnos pnc-e snc the
shJtl sharp work on th- EG;W .: ice
E,t .snefcal TO the horses reared
t1srs and point to The Eel, General
Hel1 other star performers de proof
THAT the argument Is scJnc. There is
oae thing certain. when the sra "a cir
,. Gait opens the horses lcem all parts
cf Canada are as nj as those nurtured
Ia the south and often dtter.
For Ice trotting the horses are, OF
course. so shod that there IS hSue
chance for a mishap. There are ealkins
II razor edge sharpness to hold me
horse 1In.iy on the snow or ice. and
lI-- these beget confidence to an unusual
Ces.ee They are placed one At the
@ i' toe crossWise and one on either hanse
VIZ ruaning lengthwise at the heel AS
'f tnr trOtter or PAGER marches over the
"Ni1.ozen surface OF the road or track
.t'4 these cut with a sharply defined
..----"cL .so cheep." at each step. and the
"a .soun1 Of u bunch OF horses racing Is
a. n.spi;lng.
% Purses Max. Il Worth While.
li.S fhe ice meetings arranged through
---' our Canada have sufficient money add
.us.s and racing a good horse. The purses
8 snd stakes at Ottawa the capital OF
au the Dominica. are especially substan-
teh tial and the Americans who have
i,.g crossed the border expecting easy
- same have Invariably been surprised
81 tho caliber OF the horses. Al Otta-
va the course is on the Ottawa river,
80 and thousands OF enthusiasts crowd
'H the Enclosure. Speculation is unre-
ohi stricted. and many thousands OF dol
- lars change hands during the meeting.
'----S At Montreal and some other points
1.-THE horses race over a half mile
course which has been especially pre-
pured The surface Is scraped until a
- bed OF Ice or hard snow is secured.
and this In turn Is sprayed and sprin-
''' kled til the desired footing is obtain
ed Comfortable quarters with every |
accommodation for man and beast !
are always provided and the horses |
kre rubbed dry In 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 IL no nonsense once the horses
- are out upon the track. as all are
T., enxious 20 get away. The scoring,
therefore, is not tedious. When the
horses appearSa bell rings. and those
who have been buying pools or pat
ronizing the 'refreshment booth come
irooping through the doors and take
~ their positions In the cheerless grand
stand They are warmly clad. many
OF them wearing coats OF beaver or
raccoon fur with here and there man
who wants to be unusual and whose
coat Is OF seal Some OF them are be-
girt with muticolored sashes. and this
touch OF picturesqueness recalls the
early days OF the voyager whose scarf
was his pride. The drivers are wrapped
ias snugly as the spectators. and zero
! weather has apparently no terrors for
anybody connected with the sport.