The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-08-29

1liOIlldS 111ISIlCOSh,
father of Tommy nice
Hitchcock Jr., who will stand as the
all-time polo player until some SUI
perman comes along. And there
are no supermen.
Everyone has admired the eff
ficiency of Connie Mack, n, and
Lonnie Stagg, n, at baseball and
football. But the name of Thomas
Hitchcock belongs in this slender
group of amazing veterans who have
thrown clocks and calendars away
and ignored time. They have made
the years their vassals, ignoring
such puny details as half-centuries
Training Winners
met Mr.. Hitchcock just after one
of his horses had won another
steeplechase.
wanted to know how he did it
I asked him first why it was that he
never had the front feet of his jump
ers shod.
"This," he said, sis quite sim
pie matter. A horse gets his drive
and balance from his hind feet. His
fOrefeet have a tendency to expand
His hOOfs will nearly always spread
Now if you encase these hOOfS il
an iron band there can be no ex
pansiOn. There can be no give.
have known this after some go year:
of study and observation. That i:
the reason my jumpers are never
ShOd to the front.
''The trouble most horses have i!
with their hoofs or legs. I have
never had any such trouble
Other angles to Consider
I asked Mr.. Hitchcock just wha
system he followed to bring abou
such an amazing success.
First of all,' he answered, &c
would say the word is patience.
You can't drive a horse at bar
rier and force him over. Not con
sistently. I want natural jumpers
Not synthetic jumpers. So 1 star
them in this direction when they art
less than year old. I give then
minor jumps to make on their way
to eat-jumps of less than a foot
| 1 gradually increase this height.
| get them to feel that jump is {
| part of their liveS-Something they
have to make before they can eat.
"These jumps are made higher
and higher. But there is no force
about it. There is nothing new
about it. 1t is something that be
longs to their earlier memories
something they handle instinctively.'
l asked Mr.. Hitchcock about Other
details.
"For one thing" he said, ''yol
must know and love horses. Few
are alike. They have their owl
whims and personalities. But to ge
them accustomed to people I have
young riders, 10 or IL years old, whc
ride or play with them as yearlings
I get them accustomed to the prob
lens they must face later on. / ge
them used to other horses which
may be crowding in.
Cali this" he said, stakes WORLD
| of patience. The horse must be
schooled over and over and over
What you want him to do must be
made a habit that he understands.
"The same thing goes for pole
ponies. I have known experts whit
went out for speed. But a pole
pony must be trained and taught tt
turn in split second. Speed, Of
course, is a factor. But so is turn
ing agility. These are things thai
take time.
''To my mind a horse doesn't
reach or approach his prime unit
he is six years old. This applies
especially to jumping and to polo
You haven't time to teach young
horses what they need to know al
these two sports"
Back Over the Years
"Just when did you begin this
schooling work." / asked.
"When I was at Oxford, in 1881,
he said. "NO, it was before that
Probably around 1879. was a little
younger them" he added, ethan
am NOW.
That was 81 years ago. But
| doubt he was younger then.
"There is SO much to do" he said
rather plaintively, "and SO little
time in which to do it. When you
must be patient you must have time
in which to work."
After slight pause, he continued
"You must know horses, you mus
love horses-yOu must understand
them and work with them, moi
against them"
Here you have one of the reasons
why Mr.. Thomas Hitchcock ha:
known the most phenomenal success:
over the years than anyone else has
even approached.
Mr.. Hitchcock says that a horse
is better from six years on. Look
ing at Messrs. Hitchcock, Mack anc
Stage, 1 am beginning to believe
that efficient life is around n or 70