Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1892 — ABOUT RACE-HOUSES. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ABOUT RACE-HOUSES.

THEIR DEVELOPMENT IS THE WORK OF MAN. The Kaoe-Horse Has Gradually Evolved Into a Combination of Nerves, Intelligence, and Trained Muscles—A RecordBreaker. Nancy Hanks to Maud S. Vou’ve had your dazzling day. my dear, O Maud, you bonniest girl of Bonner, But still 1 pass you with a tear, ludeed Ido, upon my honor; I'm first at last, but to the end I’ll ever be your fast, fast friend! Vou wish m* Joy? A thousand thanks. Sweet Maud, the turf’s world-famous daughter, You have the heart of Nancy Hanks— The time? 2:07 and %■, I’m sure that you will not be miffed On finding I am rather swift. Henceforth in every equine set The queen of queers will I be reckoned, And yet—don’t answer neigh—and yet You are an unexampled second; Cheer up, 'twould vex me sore indeed To learn that you were off y our feed. “Calm is the only joy,” 'tis writ. The line ior me has no attraction; I love to get ifie up and git, I find supremtst Joy in action The time? As I remarked before, 2:07 and a trifle mure. “Time flies”—you’ve heard the proverb, dear? But after this I rather fane.v You will not tempus fuglt hear. But always simply, fuglt Ifancy I’m sure you’ll think me vain and silly, A feather-headed little filly. I’d scorn to boast, of courso you know, But naught my well-earned rapture hinders— O Maud, if you had seen mo go And smash that record all to flinders! The time? As I remarked before, 2:07 and a trifle more. P. S.One point I quite forgot, my dear— I really hope I do not bore you— And that’s a point ’tie very clear I must in fairness lay before you: I made that matchless burst of speed (You never saw such splendid action!) In—so the judges all agreed—--2:07 and a tiny fraction. —New York Tribune. World’s Records Smashed. Nancy Hanks’ wonderful work at Chicago the other day is still talked about by trotting-horse men, and (he merit of her performance compared with Sunol’s over a kite-shaped track, and the record of Maud S. over the track at Cleveland is discussed

wherever a group of horsemen gather. Horsemen are unanimous in saying that Nancy Hanks’ 2:071 to a bicycle sulky was superior to Sunol’s 2:08f over a kite-shaped track. The fleet-footed Nancy is now supreme queen of trotters. Nancy Hanks is a small bay mare, foaled in 1866 at Lexington, Ky. She was sired by Happy Medium, and her dam was Nancy Lee, by Dictator. The young mare was handled by Ben Kinney, of Kentucky, who gave her a 3-year-old record of 2:24J. She followed this up by trotting in 2:14J as a 4-year-old at Lexington, and she was heralded as one of the greatest trotters of the decade. In 1891 she became the property of J. Malcolm Forbes, of Boston, for something like $25,000, and at Richmond, Ind., took a mark of 2:09. This was not her most noteworthy feat last year, however, as she defeated the great stallion, Allerton, in one of the greatest races on record at Independence, lowa. Under Budd Doble’s careful handling this season the gallant little daughter of Happy Medium (she is barely 15 hands high) has developed remarkable speed. She is but 6 years old, and the contest for supremacy between her and Mr. Bonner’s great 5-year-old mare Sunol will be closely watched. Mr. Bonner’s mare made a record of 2:08J over the kite-shaped course at Stockton, Cal., last fall as a 4-year old. The following day another world’s record was smashed on the same track, and Hal Pointer was the horse that did it. The fastest pacing mile that had been made previous to that day was 2:06, by Direct, last year. Hal Pointer’s time was 2:051 —the fastest mile that has ever been made in harness.

Evolution of tho Race-Horse. In so fai as a creature endowed witß life can owe its existence to human hands, the race-horse may be said to be man-made. Horses were an important factor in early nomadic life, and were cherished by their owners, and the progress of civilization, so far from breaking this bond, has apparently strengthened it. The animal is not now so essential to human welfare and convenience; science has furnished other means of transportation, and is in a fair way to take all the heavy loads from his back; but in the degree that he ceases to be a mere beast of burden he is transformed into a source of entertainment and pleasure. From a rough and hardy creature, subsisting on such rations as chance and convenience might provide, and suffering the hardships and hazards of toil aDd adventure, he has gradually evolved into a combination of nerves, intelligence, and trained muscle that has but a family likeness to his early progenitors. It differs from them in the same measure that the American Beauty or the La France rose differs from the little flve-petaled pink flower that blooms by the roadside. Like those floral truimphs, he is a product of scifentiflc culture. It is not chance that has given him that peculiar build, that slenderness and lightness that to the expert means speed. His masters have wanted these developments, and they have studied sire and dam and the pedigree of each until they could name in advance the qualities of the offspring. And having secured a horse that has within him the possibilities of outdoing his ancestors, they treat him as a precious belonging, as, indeed, he is. A groom is always in attendance; he is brushed and combed until his coat is like satin; he is fed and housed and exercised with as much care for his com-

fort as for a child’s; royalty itself la not looked after with more solicitnde. The attention that ancient Greeks used to give to their own bodily training is given by modern men to the race horse, and, as a result, he is a marvel of physical perfection. And after all this? Why, when he has been tested and his paces tried, he is put upon the race track, where his beauty and grace and swiftness please the sight and thrill the pulses of the watching thousands as no other spectacle devised for public pleasure could even do.

High and Low Action. Nearly all of our trotting horses have low action. This is eminently advantageous to speed. But, if too low, it causes tumbling, which retards fleetness. High action is very showy, but the excessive expenditure of animal force is not exerted in the proper direction for speed. On the hard pavements this pounding injures the forefeet of even the soundest and most perfect footed horses, and licrses having flat or tender feet soon become lame, and useless for city work. The English and French require the high action and breed for it, and pay well for horses of this mode of going. They even compel excessively high knee action by the severe and cruel checkrein that holds the heads of their horses, so they are like blind animals, compelled to step high for self-protection. There is, however, a decided improvement in this respect, latterly, in England.— American Agriculturist Notes. Whole and cracked corn induces colic in horses, because it is not properly masticated. Establish a reputation in your community for good horses, and buyers will he plentiful. See that the blessed sunshine is not kept out of the stalls. Eew stables have enough of it. Mares should have access to grass some little time before foaling. Living on dry feed during the winter takes' the elasticity out of the muscles. It Is very desirable that colts be thoroughly handled and halter-broken before they are a year old. This will make them gentle and fearless afterward.

Don’t forget that a box stall Is much better than a long narrow one for the horses, especially when they have worked hard all day. You like a wide bed; so does a horse. Don’t go back on your neighbor. If he owns a stallion of the blood and style you desire to breed your mare to, give him the preference. Keep on friendly relationship with him. The man who is awfully particular to have his fine mare bred to a fine horse and then gives the colt a poor showing is wanting sadly In the characteristics of a good horseman. The man who thinks of breeding trotters in this country need not consider the climate so much as the blood, the science of breeding, and the correct development of his horses. The Northwestern Agriculturist states that a strong solution of alum and tannin dissolved in water will toughen the back and breast of animals liable to be galled in the spring work. Wet the places night and morning.

NANCY HANKS.