Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 July 1875 — Remarkable Instinct of a Race-Horse. [ARTICLE]

Remarkable Instinct of a Race-Horse.

The following is one of the most remarkable instances on record of the instinct of a horse. Immediately after the last day’s meeting of the Maryland Jockey Club at Pimlico, this spring, Business, Artist, George West and two or three other broken-down racers were pat up at auction by their owner, Mr. Joseph Donahue. As is generally the case, however, no one wanted to purchase them, and with the exception of Jim Crow none were sold. They were taken back to the stables, and on the following day George West, the renowned steeple-chaser, was sent to the farm of Capt. Powers, in Baltimore County, and turned out on pasture with a number of common work horses. Strange to say, however, the old racer refuses to associate with the common horses, and will not even remain in the same part of the field with them except at certain hours. Every morning and evening during a racer’s training he is walked slowly around in a small circle for an hour or so. These walking circles can be found near the stables at every race-track, and they are usually about 100 feet in diameter. On the first morning after old George West was turned out of the stable at Capt. Powers’ farm he waited around the stable doors for some time and neighed as if impatient. The old horse spent the entire first day walking up and down in front of the stables. On the following morning he was turned out again, and after standing around the stable some time he walked otf toadistanteornerof the field, where he proceeded to walk around in a circle of about fifty or sixty yards. The walk was kept up for an hour as steadily as he had ever done it in his palmiest training days. After exercising about an hour the old horse left his walkingground and capered around the field as if delighted. In the evening it was noticed that shortly before sundown he threw up bis head, and, after neighing once or twice, galloped around the entire field seven or eight times. He then suddenly stopped and went to the small circle used by him in the morning and walked around it regularly for about an hour. At the expiration of that time he went to the stable. These exercises of walking and galloping have been repeated regularly ever since, and Capt. Powers states that the time George West begins exercising each day does not vary over a half hour. He was kept in the stable two days without getting out, but when turned out on the third he at once began his walk and kept it up as usual. The other horses in the field have followed his example, and now every morning and evening seven common horses may be seen moving regularly around the small circle like a string of racers, headed by George West. The sight is a novel one, and hundreds of persons have visited the farm (luring the past week to witness it. Beyond the walking George West does not mix with the common herd at all, and takes his gallops entirely alone. George West is now over six years old, but there' is probably no steeple-chaser now living in this country that in his fourth and fifth years won as many gallant races as he has done.—Baltimore American.