Trotwood's Monthly, Vol. I, No. 3, December 1905

Some years ago, Mr. Walter Winans, of Brighton, England, sent me sketches of bas-reliefs taken from Egyptian tombs. While never having had before the pleasure of seeing a cut of the bas-reliefs sent to the writer by Mr. Winans, I have known of their existence and have repeatedly called attention to the fact that the past history of the pacer demonstrated beyond a doubt that he was a horse of the noblest blood, the war-horse of ancient battles, the companion of ancient kings and princes. The fact that he has been able to do what he has done is convincing proof of a past greatness somewhere in his breeding—a scrub would have died at the wire long ago. If “society” is looking for something that is blue-blooded, with a hoariness that no other blue-blooded can boast of; that is eminently respectable to a degree bordering on classical mythiness; that is more ancient than the pyramids and more respectable in lineage than the longest pedigree of Norman knight, I respectfully refer it to the pacer. My only regret in the matter is that the recognition, by “society,” of distinguished lineage, illustrious achievements and present worth cannot be a subject of mutual acknowledgment and congratulation.

Brighton, Eng., Jan. 23.

Dear Trotwood: I have brought the pacer to more than four thousand years ago. Prof. J. E. Marey, Professor of the College of France, has just published a book called “Le Movement,” dealing with the correct drawings of men and animals in motion. He gives two engravings, of which I enclose pen copies, one of them from an Assyrian bas relief, the original of which is in London, England, British Museum; the other is a copy of an ancient Egyptian Bas-relief at Medynet-Abou, in Egypt. They both represent horses pacing. Prof. Marey says (freely translated from the French). “Examples of a pacing gait are here accurately represented. It is of all gaits the easiest to observe, and therefore to draw, on account of the symmetry of movement.... Trotting, which is so often represented in modern works, seems rarely to figure in that of the ancients.”

I noticed lately in one of your contemporaries, which goes in for “society,” a suggestion that pacing races should not be held on days that trotting is indulged in, so as not to offend road riders (a long list of which it gives), who dislike to see a pacer. It is a good thing that these road riders did not live four thousand years ago, or they would have been shocked to see all the rulers and great men of Assyria and Egypt driving pacers. The ancient Romans called trotters “tormentores,” on account of the way they shook them up, riding without stirrups.

Referring to the pictures again, the reason the figures holding the symbols of authority (the half-circles) and the groom at the horses’ heads being so small, is because that in ancient Egyptian conventional art figures were not drawn in their proper proportions, but large or small, according to the importance of the person represented.

The Assyrian pacer looks as if he must be the champion stallion of the period.

Yours truly,

WALTER WINANS.

I agree fully with Mr. Winans concerning the form of the Assyrian pacer above. Fewer can show up today with a finer turned muzzle, face and neck, or show more strength, beauty and symmetry in form than the one in the outline above. Concerning the cobwebbed suggestion of the “society” paper about pacers being barred the track on trotting days, I beg to assure the author of the above letter that the brilliant idea died a-borning. There is plenty of brains and progressive spirit yet left among the managers of American trotting associations, and these gentlemen prefer rather to increase than to diminish the interest in the light harness horse. The pacer and the trotter are indissolubly linked together—in interest, destiny and blood. They have, too, much of the same breeding, too many kindred ties. Joined, as they are, by so many common ancestors, united as they are by so many great horses, no number of society asses can now pull them asunder.

In discussing this subject later, Mr. Winans wrote:

“There is one difference between a trotter and a pacer which I can show in sculpture, which has never been shown before by any artists, as painters cannot show it. I mean the upright, locomotive-like progression of a trotter and the side stride of the pacer. In a picture the difference of the gaits can only be shown by the position of the legs. In sculpture we can show how a trotter puts down his feet on each side of the imaginary line drawn on the ground straight under him, in the direction he is going, as the following illustration will show.

[Illustration]

“But this is not true with the pacer. On the contrary, he puts his feet right on the line, as the following diagram will show:

[Illustration]

“I can better explain myself by the following: If I model a horse standing still, and then cut off the two left side legs and model fresh ones in the act of being lifted up, so as to represent one position of the pace, I would have to push or bend the body of the horse over to the left till a plumb line from the center of his body would hang down to touch a line drawn on the ground from his two feet touching the ground, but if I wanted to make a trotter from the same model of a standing horse, I could make the fresh legs without having to bend over the body to either side.

“It is curious that the bronze statuettes of the pacer would not stand firm unless I bent the body over, which shows that nature knows just how to place animals so that the center of gravity should be right. Horses in the instantaneous photograph positions balance on their legs, but if I model in the conventional position of the run, I have to put a prop under the bronze horse’s belly, like most artists do.”

The subject of the proper balancing of harness horses is generally recognized as one of the most important in the business, and it is highly probable that more otherwise good drivers fail there, in the proper management of their horses, than in any other thing. Properly balanced, the battle is half over in the training of a naturally speedy horse.

The idea suggested in the letter above, if true, as it undoubtedly appears to be, naturally suggests that a very different system should be adopted in the proper balancing of pacers and trotters. It is impossible, of course, to tell how much the individuality of each horse would assert itself in attaining the ends sought in this direction, but so far as the mere matter of avoirdupois is concerned, it will be seen that on general principles the pacer, on account of moving a rear and fore foot at the same time, can come nearer having both shoes on those feet equal, than the trotter, where the aim should be to equalize the alternate feet.

It is very plain the balancing required for one will not do for the other, and horsemen who think they know all about a pacer from successful handling of trotters will find out their error. For my own part, I believe it requires less skill to balance a pacer than a trotter, for the reason that, because of his simple action he can come nearer wearing the same weight on all feet than any other horse. As proof of this I have only to refer my readers to the fact that nearly all the very fast pacers carry but little weight, equally distributed, and require little protection.

This correspondent has placed us under additional obligations by enclosing us a pen drawing, executed by himself, on a trip into Northern Russia, which we reproduce below, and which he calls “a typical pacer from Finland, Russia, used by the peasants for farm work, fourteen hands high.” As Finland is in the northern part of Russia, beyond the latitude where the native horses of any country grow much higher than fourteen hands, the height is not to be wondered at; and as the peasants of Finland are of the poorer classes the natural inference is that the pacer is a natural product of northern Europe, and, no doubt, may be found in their native state in many, if not all, of these countries, such as Siberia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, and even North Germany.

[Illustration: A Typical Pacer from Finland, Russia. Used by the Peasants for Farm Work—14 Hands High.]

“There is no native trotter in England,” writes Mr. Winans. “That is to say, there is no breed of horse that can beat the very low standard of 3:30. The so-called Norfolk trotter is too slow and is never used for racing purposes in England. To supply this dearth of trotters, they had to import from Russia and the United States. Now, a fast trotter from the States costs more than the class of men who go in for trotting in England cared to pay, so pacers, which could go in three minutes or a little better, were got over instead, and as the difference between trotting and pacing is not understood in England, they got to be called trotters, and raced as trotters. As a proof of their not understanding pacers, a big dealer in horses saw a friend of the writer’s driving an American pacer and said, ‘There, that is what I call trotting in good form!’ The other country the English import trotters from is Russia. Now, in Russia there are two sorts of trotters, the ordinary Orloff carriage horse, which can go close to three minutes, if a good one, and the racing Orloff trotter, which can go up to about 2:20. Now, the latter are too expensive, so the ordinary Orloff carriage horses were imported. It was soon found that they were not fast enough to have any chance even against very poor American pacers, so the American pacer became the trotter of England. This refers to the high class, or what corresponds to the free-for-all trots. There is another lower-down class of trotting which is by far the most common in England. The races, or generally matches, take place on the road, and the police (it is forbidden to race on the roads) often put a stop to the races, and they have to be arranged discreetly. The matches are announced on some such lines: ‘Mr. So-and-So’s pony, Tommy, matched for $25 to trot two miles on the So-and-So road against Mr. So-and-So’s pony, Billy.’

“By the way, till quite lately a trotter in England was always a pony; they did not talk of trotting horses, but trotting ponies. For this class of racing the ponies are some 12½ to 14½ hands high and driven to very heavy, old-fashioned sulkies. The ponies used are not English-bred, but what are called in England ‘Russian’ ponies. They are not really Russian, but come from Finland. These ‘Finnish’ ponies are a distinct breed. They are on an average 14½ hands high or under, strongly built, with thick, short necks, very good feet and legs, bushy tails, and very hard mouths. They are generally all shades of sorrel, dun or chestnut, many with donkey marks down the back, and light-colored manes and tails, and they are for the most part natural pacers. These are the horses that are used in St. Petersburg for the public droshkies which ply for hire and are very cheap. Some can go close to three minutes, with an occasional one close to 2:40, and are imported wholesale into England for light tradesmen’s use. In Russia they are also used by the peasants for farm work.

“The Orloff trotter is quite free from pacing. The many I have driven have never showed the least sign of pacing, with one single exception; this horse was not one of the racing Orloffs, but one of an ordinary carriage pair. I think he had a cross of the ‘Fin’ pony, by his shape. He used to pace when jogging, but I never tried to get any speed at the pace out of him.

“The little ‘Fin’ ponies are very fast occasionally for their size. As an instance, we had a black pair of Orloffs when I was last in St. Petersburg, which used to pass everything on the road. It is the custom there, when you have fast horses, to brush with anything you meet. One day a victoria, drawn by two little dun-colored ‘Fin’ ponies, with some ladies in it, came along. We turned out to pass them and they ran right away from us, which no big pair had been able to do all the summer. This particular pair trotted, but as I said before, most of them are pacers, and these are what race in the minor races in England as ‘trotting ponies.’”

The conclusion is evident—the pace is the natural and probably the first fast gait of the horse.

(To Be Continued.)

Educating the Horse

By DR. J. C. HENNESSEY, RENO, NEVADA.

The horse is conceded to be the most intelligent of animals, the best friend to man, and until recently the most universally used and most necessary; yet the same animal is also the most universally abused. Men hitch the poor animals in harness that is sometimes too small, or too large, as the case may be, and in consequence he rebels and refuses to pull a load when by doing so he suffers torments by chafing, or from choking, if the collar be too small. This is all that is necessary to stigmatize the poor brute as being balky, and unless some humane person happens to run across the animal it will be spoiled, and no one will take it as a gift. Now, as a matter of fact, the horse that absolutely refuses to be treated thus is the horse that has the right material in him and the one that will give you most service, providing you treat him right. The horse I own was such an animal and was given up as a “runaway” and “kicker.” Yet he is now so gentle that he will absolutely refuse to run away on any pretense whatever. Upon hearing that a fine looking but “mean” horse was for sale, I took occasion to visit the owner and learn something of the “outlaw.” After seeing the animal, even after I had learned that he had been in runaways and had broken up at least four buggies, I bought him for $150, but not until I had made a phrenological examination and found that the horse was particularly well supplied, as I thought, with good horse sense. I could see that his disposition was “keyed” up pretty high and that trait combined with a broad forehead and a good eye, suited me, and was what I always select in an animal. The price was as nothing, when we consider that he was a Woodnut by Nutwood, and that his sire sold for $22,000, and his grandsire for, I think, considerably more.

I only drove the animal a few times before he was as gentle as a lamb and has never committed one unkind act while I was with him. He now performs twenty tricks and is trained to hunt, and enjoys it. I shoot over his head and he waits for me to get the game. He will stop when he sees a rabbit and expects me to shoot it. If you want your animals to be kind to you you must first treat them kindly. After driving this “runaway horse” for a few months my wife and I drove across the mountains on a hunting trip. On going down a steep grade the buggy upset and we were both thrown out, but the wild horse absolutely refused to run away. He would have been as kind to his former owner if he had been treated properly. You can tyrannize over some people, while others will fight back, and it is just so with animals.

A horse never forgets anything, and if he is badly scared in a certain place, he will show the same fear if brought back to that place a year afterwards. A horse will develop the same disposition as the man who drives him, and if the man is nervous and fretful, by continually jerking the lines and striking the horse with a whip, he instills this irritability into the poor horse, and sooner or later the animal starts up too soon, and, expecting to be whipped, runs off at the top of his speed, perhaps killing somebody. Of course, the poor horse is to blame for this (?). Sometimes he is hitched so close to the wagon that he cannot trot without striking his hocks against the vehicle and, thinking he is being abused, he will run away. If the traces are too tight he will suffer from sore shoulder or sore neck.

Never allow a blacksmith to spring a shoe in a place by pressing down and nailing. Have him take the shoe off and straighten it on the anvil. Do not allow him to cut the frog away as it furnishes nourishment and moisture to the hoof. Don’t check your horse too high unless you wish him to be knee sprung. In shoeing horses some people are of the same opinion as is John Chinaman when buying boots. They want to get all the material they can for their money and in shoeing a horse too heavy you not only ruin his gait, but cause him to get tired sooner than he otherwise would. In driving, control your animal by speaking to him. By following this method and being kind, not allowing yourself to lose your temper, you will be surprised at the control you will have over your horse in a short time. If the animal wishes to run away there is no man strong enough to hold him. You cannot stop a runaway by sawing on the bit, but if you will not lose presence of mind and not get excited, you can stop any horse and cure him of trying to run by the following method: Grasp the lines tightly and pull as tight as you can. Let one line slip through your fingers (not losing it entirely), and pull hard with the other, which will bring the horse’s head around to the side. If you hold his head in that position you will throw him down as the legs will become mixed by thus drawing the head to the side. If you leave his head free once more he will stagger but not fall and will have great respect for the driver who can thus mix him up. This is something that every one should know, as no horse can run unless he can have his head in front of him. To control him it is necessary to jerk the head quickly, and the driver must keep the horse from turning around, thus upsetting the rig. Should your horse get frightened at any object, do not whip him; scold him and drive him carefully up to the object and he will eventually become so gentle and observing that he will recognize objects and not get frightened at them.

Should he get away from you do not get into a passion and beat the animal as soon as you get him again, for he will always remember it and you might be miles away from home and should he get loose, you will have to walk, as he will not care for another beating and will leave you “alone in your glory.” On the other hand, if you are kind to him you can go among a band of wild horses, and yours will leave them for you.

Horses know more than they are given credit for and have been known to carry their master home when the owner was intoxicated and unable to walk after getting there. A great many horses are spoiled by the driver forcing them to do something when the horse does not know what is wanted of him. Show him what you wish him to do and he will do it. Never fool your horse and always praise and reward him for doing good. Horsemen will tell you that it spoils a horse to teach him tricks. Does it spoil a child to educate him? My buggy horse that performed twenty tricks was thought to be a spoiled horse but at the State fair I could not get a race for him with trotters and had to enter him with pacers that were going in :17, :19 and :20. He was never driven better than :26, but did not make a break, and won handily in straight heats, and the last was :24. In trying to beat him they ran him into a fence, and on the back stretch locked wheels, making him drag the other under the wire in :24. That did not excite him, because I had educated him and he came back the next heat (fourth) in :24 in a jog. By educating your horse, you give him courage, make him brave, and he becomes almost human, just like Lou Dillon when, in a mighty drive she becomes part and parcel of the greatest educator of animals who ever existed—Millard Sanders. The old familiar quotation, “Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, and waste its sweetness on the desert air,” is exemplified time and again, when we see trainers driving animals with a world of speed, not knowing how to shoe, handle or drive them. Would education spoil these men? Training, gaiting and educating a horse is a mathematical problem, and the man who can teach a little each day and who understands that by increasing the action in front means something to the hind hoofs, and by slowing up the action behind means something to the front hoofs just as it does to multiply and subtract, is the man who takes the purse at the race meeting even if he does not make a hit in his workouts. When you wish to train to perform tricks, start in with the easiest one first and begin in the following way: