AMERICAN HORSES.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2201, 16 March 1881, Page 3

AMERICAN HORSES.

[N. B. Agriculturist.] Americans pride themselves upon their horses and their driving. Nothing, certainly, can compete in speed with their smartest trotting horses, such ss Edwin Forrest, who has done his mile in 2tnin llj'sec; whilst in every city, and most country districts, are clever nags that accomplish their mile in 2min 20sec, The driving, generally with two hands, pulling pounds weight at the buffalo hide reins instead of gently feeling the horse’s mouth, the driver’s body far from erect, are not consistent with the canons of English horsemanship. But the American whip drives safely, often over trying roads, and seldom abuses his cattle. The Leicestershire man looks vainly for a well-bred hunter with blood and power, well laid shoulders, and good manners. A. really gentlemanly hack or cob is rare ; it is driving rather than riding horses that, are in demand; appearance is commonly sacrificed to speed. Many of the speediest performers on the trotting track, to English eyes lack symmetry and style, and would be considered dear at 50 guineas. But American horses have many good qualities. They are almost universally good tempered and docile ; whether it is the climate or the feeding I know not, but they are less mischievous and vicious than horses at home. Alike in town and country they are left standing about in the streets, always without an attendant, sometimes even without being tied up. Even when apparently in poor condition, many undergo long fatiguing journeys. Amongst the Indian ponies wonder ful examples of endurance occur they w;ll go all day at a fair pace until they drop down exhausted ; with a couple of hours’ rest, water, and grass, they are up again and ready plucki'y to proceed. In the Eastern States flat racing is inoreas ing in popularity. Good Engl'sh stud horses are being introduced. In New York, Kentucky, and other States are breeders who have upwards of two hundred well-bred, goodlooking brood mares; and from such studs may yet emerge Derby and Leger winners. At Mr Alexander's, near Lexington, Kentucky, besides several other valuable thoroughbreds, some popular trotting sires, and 300 brood mares, is a worthy son of old BlairAthol, from Greta, by Yoltigeur, yclept QlenAthol, a useful chesnut, with the gentlemanly npoearance and white markings of the old horse, rather wanting in size and grandeur, but rising in repute, and the sire of the promising thrnc-ycar-old Qlenmore, who last month pulled off the Bowie Stakes at. B dti-, more, doing his four miles in six minutes, the last mile being run in Irain 48 ecs. This cultivation of good, stout thoroughbreds, and their distribution throughout the country, should improve the style of various classes of American horses, and give especially ra'her smarter heads, better laid shoulders, and more shapely, longer quarters. With some little attention, there should be produced larger supplies of high class carriage horses. The largest number of smart carriage teams which I have eeen in America were at Boston. Vermont years ago bred a number of suoh valuable carriage horses. Th-ne of style and sizs suitable for the Englsh market are now ra'her thinly scattered. Some are bred in New York State; some good ones of Lexington, Phaeton,and other’suoh mer torious descent, come from Kentucky. In the stockyards of Chicago a good judge may pi k up a few forwarded from the west, whil-t some are found as far south as Bt. Louis. From such sources the English dealers mw and then collect a few t c re very useful t young horses, which pay well for the trouble i of hum ing up, and for the cost of transport home, which averages about £2O.

The class of horses numerically strongest in New York city are those employed in the tram cars. With these tramways New York is gridironed ; and although they cut up the roadways and spoil the carriage wheels, they prove a great boon to millions of ths population, who are carried several miles for the moderate charge of five cents. The half a score tramcar companies amongst them employ 17,000 to 18,0000 horses. The omnibus companies nee about 2000 more. Each company usually works the cars running along one of the avenues, and has upwards of 1000 horses ; but some have double that number. At convenient points each company has its stables of four or five storeys high, each storey communicating by inclined roadways, up and down which the horses readily travel, and by lifts for the movement of corn and fodder. Air, light, and ventilation are well provided for. Down a shoot from the upper stories the manure is sent to the ground floor, the heaps of which are cleared off onoe a week ; the contract price for such fertilising material rarely reaching Is p r ton. The horses, 15$ to 16 hands high, vary in weight from 1200 to 1400 lbs., and are bought at £25 to £3O. The superintendent, who is sometimes a veterinary surgeon and has the general and medical charge of the stud, makes his purchases, as required, from the various dealers who constantly have consignments of useful horses coming in from Western and Southern States, the horses being forwarded in trucks containing fifteen to eighteen. Horses and mares are selected indiscriminately; four year-olds are rejected as more liable to colds and casualties and more difficult to keep in condition; animals six years old and upwards are preferred. A few days since, in Mr J. N. Dakhman’s stables in Twentyfourth street, I saw a capital lot of stout serviceable horses from Ohio, from which the superintendent of one of the car companies made a good selection of nearly a score of horses at less than £3O each. As with other things, prices of horses have during the las' few weeks advanced fully 10 per cent.; but even at advanced prices these horses were 20 per cent, cheaper than they could be bought at home.

The dietary of these tram-oar horses varies somewhat with the different companies, and is modified according to the relative price of the various grains. In several of the establishments the daily allowance for each hoise is 141bs of mixed grain, consisting of 3 bushels of oats to 1 bushel of maize. Both are oraoked and given usually with some bran or chaff. The summer prices have been Is 4d per bushel for oats of 321b5.; 2s per bushel of 561bs for maize ; hay, of which eaoh horse has about lOlbs daily, has coat 2s 4d per lOOlbs. The horses are fed three times daily, in some stables four times ; the first meal is given at 5 a.m. The average daily service done by each horse is about twenty miles ; the pace is not fast, rarely exceeding six miles an hour, but there is no limit to the loading of oars, and night and morning especially they arc much overloaded, and although tho streets are level, there is great strain on the horses’ hocks in starting the heavy loads. At this season the whole day’s work is overtaken in one stage, but in summer thehorsesare pulled out and have an hour’s rest and some water when they have accomplished ten or twelve miles ; at short intervals during hot weather they have frequent offers of water. The men who drive the cars have nothing to do with the horses in the stables, where one man, receiving 5s daily, has to feed, groom, harness, and unharness sixteen horses. Thus carefully selected and well managed the horses last three to four years ; indeed I saw several looking sound and serviceable which had been in regular use during double that period. When lamed, stiffened, or otherwise disabled for this duty, they are promptly disposed of. Weeded out in time, the culls are expected to make about half their purchase orioe. The stoutest and best pass into the lands of suburban farmers ; others are bought by hucksters and small dealers for slow work.