American Trotters and their Training.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 11 March 1890, Page 3

American Trotters and their Training.

A CHAT AT BARN I'M* S. Concerning the American trotting horse v great deal has been ■written and said in this country, but that is a'joutall. AtOlympia at the present time there is engaged one of the most celebrated of American trainers and drivers of trotting fcjrses, John Splun ty man, who has with him, besides tho dozen or so ordinary trotter-: belonging to the show, a horse with a record. Bnt, ».s a Pail Mall Budget representative -called upon Mr Pplan the other day it may be as well to let him speak lew himself. Mr Splan is a tall, >liny man, with broad shoulders, in : appearance quite the reverse of the orthodox jockey. He is quiet, un iassumin-g, and intelligent, a good amd practised talker. Jand— wonderful to relate— he has never in his life Hasted any alcoholic drink nor smoked Aobacco ! • "Come along down stairs into my 'dressing-room, whf-re we shall be ; <iuiet," said Mr Fplaa, and leading the way through the wilderness of 'Uonian guards of coryphees just grtiftjafto appear in <; Nero,"- : and winding about between gilded chariots and piles of pikes and -armoury, down « steep staircase . into the labyrinthine mazes of the vast cellars beh>\v " < lmpia" he stepped before a door and knocked "Are you there, "Willie *he asked ; a voice answered "Yes," and Hil* Jliam Showles, the bavebnok rider, opened the door.

""■ " You want to kuovr something about trotters, do you '?" said Mr Splan; "Well, I'll tell you _ all I can. I suppose you bow, iv the first place, that horses aro especi illy bred for the purp se of trot ing.. Their parents are carefully selectH o?>. account of the possess on of cv'rtiiin characteristics, and it may be said that the loal is horn a trotter, born, th .t is to say. with a trotting sxuit with the inatinc sof a trotter. We have also a horse cal ed a pacer, ts'l" 1 ".?" g-ait is fcomowhat similar in a pi.^"ro 7 .-» rt to the trotter, yet widely different in reali 1 ,?. The trotter, as yqmltiiay probably","' -lifts "the. left hindle^fan^ the right forele-g together, An< \ liind and left foreleg toget^e^ w i iere as the pacer lifts the Kp hind and left foreleg "simul 1 taneoualyy and the right hind and right foreleg together. To an ordinary observer it is har.l, almost impossible, to see any difference between the two ;. gaits. , ;_ All,; the same, it is a pacer- which holds- the fastest record at the present time, logoh ck to our trotters... The Training of a trotting horse is begun almost at its birth. The first thing that is done is to teach them to feed. Even while it is suckling the mother, it is tau ht to eat Corn [ Alongside the mare's manger a smaller one is placed for the foa\ and you would be snrprised to see how quickly the youngster learns to champ the corn, and to enjoy it. The object of this is to . cause rapid development, to harden -'and' form the' muscles and museu'ar tissues, aud to make the foal a horse as soon as-possible. • I do not qnito hold with this treatment myself, for I rather believe in the theory of early development meaning early decay. - However, it-is Me system customarily in vogue with trainers in our country, so. that is why I am telling it to "you. "S'> soon m it is in any way pos siblp," contiuued Mr Splan "the foal is taught its pait. The first action of course, is Ihelwalk, and this is of great importance, as it develops a good action. Then comes the trot, and this is learnt by being led alongside of a pony which can trot. The education of. a foal needs just as much cave, intelligence, and patience as that "of a child. Indeed, in my opinion, the more like human beings horses are treated the better are the results obtained. Some foaJs have learnt their business in a year, some tak" considerably longer. A very important matter in the training of a hcrse is not to drive him. I mean W thi 1 -, not to overwork him, not to push him, not to make him try to put ont his groatesfc strength in the ve'-y beginning. A hcrse very quickly knows what is wanted of him, und is as anxi'nis to do his very best as his ow»)pt is. Therefore he should never ie pushed to make or beat a record until he has been gradually exerted to reach one that alrendy exists. When once he has made a record he will a 1 ways try to kopp up to it and can generally be made t 1 succeed. Maud S.. the ceTebrated trotter, which Mr Yanderbilt spld ■ to Mr Robert Bonuer, wns never beaten but one. Her record is a mi'e in 2 rain. 8£ see.' tho fastest trottin? thn!:ha-?e ">v l^on jdlpne f} bu^T'she' was benton by Jonson a pneer who diri the mile in '.'. mm. fij sec. <{ >Tow lieve is another very impor- : tnnt thing aU trotters have to learn: to come up to scu;ajtoh. a.ud..^starfc,. on. time. This is V>iie" oY fcn'o'"mogfc difficult things to teach a horse, as I need harrlly tell you. They are excited and want to get away, and their drivers do not always hnve.themanft'jhand '^^ , horse maj^rtub^ \ £ _'.. yaceF--'". jby auch y • itoii patience, or may 'lose a record by making points in consequence of break in w itg gait before or after starting. About trotting matches. They are always run in heats, and the method of handicapping is on'y to allow horses with certain records to run to geth«r. Thus horses with a record of 2min. 17 sec. run together, a horse ■whicli Kas done the mile in 2iioiri. 16 Bee cannot run with others again, The necessary weight of a trotting driver is 150 lbs he may of course be over th it, but if he is under it has to be mndo up with weights. -^The vslue of a trotter ? Oli, w~ell that depends of course, but some very large prices have been vaid. • Mr Eobert Bonner who is* perhaps the largest owner of •votHncj stock in America, yet who never trots bis horses in public, pays nny sum tbat is ,asked for a horse Jhe wants. ■ ; t'nr7se'thavo the hon ur to bavc had, and 'o have sold two horses, wh'ch at the time I had tV'vn, he'd the f iste9t records in the wo-^fi for tro f tincr and pacing. En us who beat Goldsmith Maid, and miift a' r6coi*d df 2 mm. 18} sen., was atr ttcr. I sold h'm 'n- V 6.000 dols Johnson the parrr. w'i^sp rp"orl is 2 mimfij:»e«wfee»'d^or aOiOOO-^dolfi Trpttinsr horse.s.are-^eAr y.< always driyf »), b.v T ,J.]| p i'atrainers,. w^ip are. f re-qu«n%-t^ftir r^jsoneiv». a'*V>. Tp, our oounj.ry fo drive o , r fr.o^tf;ecr fc so .fat from being' (lerfi/Rforv.'.jsfC'";!)^" /leV; ,'d- to'.lv- . hoiiu/ v «l'iJ)>'*^inoloyiWßr|'- fd"'. the h .'at in the lan^."' J ' i blvesV-n" a ttiini8 f <7 and aj^omanjf^tholic pri st dri' in-r trotters on' the co" iw. To be able to dri»*e a trrttev nefdp firm nervo quick fl« ois'on, «le erraination, strong wiU;--.fltelf.»':iUJs *b?oltt'W :d'»iinjj Thcs© : : tnu^t liq pambiwid if : th ! a gentle li«flrf',.ftchat onmplete ..n^-'er-stand ing h^weon . .Rm r.^nd <#1O"8O wlii«b,|ry»rkl¥..th(9n^ tlip,. vfl»i|ie'st., and best o&r)feiw&:'V'^i ''.t'&-n>\» ■■>•