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AMERICAN METHODS OF TRAINING Interesting Sketch of the Daily Routine of the Trainer of an Important Stable The first rays of light were crimsoning the east when a trap was driven at a short trot up to the gates of a stable at the race course and a colored man stood at attention and touched his cap in answer to the salutation of his arriving employer whose greeting was a curt good morning followed by the peremptory order Get them out Half a dozen smart boys in corduroys and leggins ojicned as many box stall doors and led forth their charges saddled and bridled ready for the track and whatever work the imposeBefore trainer might see lit to impose Before leaving the home quarters for the course the horses were marshaled in line and the trainer passed each one Inspecting them critically and searching for any evidence of uusoiindness on the part of the animal or of carelessness on the part of the employee Nothing escaped his sharp eye and when he was satisfied that all was right he said laconically Get up and turning on his heel walked toward the training track the horses follow ¬ ing in Indian file fileThe The head lad so called though on this occasion the man in question was upward of fifty brought up the rear Each boy sat his mount with the greatest care evidently bent upon mastering the trade of jockey in time and becoming a famous horseman Upon reaching the course the boys lined up their horses once more and the trainer began issuing his instructions instructionsIt It was a mild canter or a brisk gallop for this bunch a sharp workout under pressure for another pair and trotting skirmish perhaps for the others the work of all varying according to their engage ¬ ments and the amount of preparation they required to put them in shape for their races or once ready for the test necessary to keep them at their best The horses were as a rule worked in pairs and as they breezed or galloped a speed the trainer stood grim and silent watch in hand to note how fast they moved movedSometimes Sometimes the jockeys or jockey under contract to the stable ride in the work but there is scarcely a racing establishment which does not possess one or more boys whose forte is this working of race horses Though some of them have never ridden in public races they surpass the professional jockeys as judges of pace tliat is they can obey orders to the letter and know intuitively how fast they are going and these boys are very often preferred to the pro ¬ fessional riders on sucli occasions occasionsWith With such lads In the saddle the trainer whose orders may have been given for a mile in two min utes or a mile and a quarter in 210 has little worry but if the boy is a new one to the business there is always the duty of waving him on or stop ¬ ping him if be is coming too fast or too slow as the case may be This is accomplished with a hand ¬ kerchief the riders having been instructed to watch for the signal signalAll All the horses were trotted and walked for per ¬ haps half an hour before they were ready for the bard work of the day As each pair pulled up before the trainer their mouths were sponged by attend ¬ ants and once more they were aligned for inspection Feet and legs were examined after which their bodies glistening with sweat were scraped This was followed by a cooling application of body wash composed generally of equal parts of witch hazel and alcohol although some trainers have special preparations of their own containing other ingredi ¬ ents entsAfter After a thorough bath in this the rubbing cloths were tirought into play the result being a beautiul bloom to the coat and a horse ready for his break ¬ fast Each horse is permitted to have half a dozen swallows of water and is blanketed heavily or lightly according to the season Then the start for home is made In each box stall at the stable a bundle of savory hay picked thoroughly until only the purest timothy is left is to be found and after the feet have been cleansed of dirt each hoof being lifted in turn carefully picked with the steel hoof pick each man carries in his pocket with rubber and scraper as companions the frog is washed with a sponge and water The legs are then rubbed vigorously for a few minutes and bandages with rolls of cotton be ¬ neath them are applied appliedWhile While the horses are munching their hay the men and boys breakfast in one part of the big dining room or kitchen reserved for each owner at the track the trainer partaking of the morning meal alone in another portion of the bailding unless the owner or some of his friends or an acquaintance of the trainer should be on band bandIt It is a treat for an outsider to share in one of these race track breakfasts The cooks employed are generally negroes or Chinamen and the fare is delicious as a rule Colored men are born bread and roll makers and nothing could be more inviting than the table spread on such occasions The coffee rolls and bacon and eggs would need no sharpening of the appetite to make them enjoyable but with the pure air of the morning acting as an aid to appetite the pleasures of the table arc enhanced enhancedBreakfast Breakfast over the rations of the various horses arc doled out by the trainer or head lad always by the former when the man knows his job thoroughly and bestows the attention upon his charges which the responsible position demands Some thorough ¬ breds are gluttons for food just as some are for work and require larger rations than others while still others have to be coaxed with dainties daintiesThe The man who understands the details of the trainers Calling makes a study of the Individual tastes of each and every horse in his charge It is for this reason that the best men in the profession not only allot the feed each horse is to have but see that it lias all been cleaned up making a tour of the stalls an hour or so after feeding time for that purpose purposeAnother Another matter to which the capable trainer gives close attention is the condition of the wooden or zinc boxes In which the horses are fed Some train ¬ ers do not have these cleaned regularly but allow them to become sour and unappetizing The upto theminute trainee sees that his feed boxes are scoured and scalded with boiling water every day and that there are no sour accretions of food in the corners to stale the appetite of a fastidious filly or geldingThe a cranky gelding The horses having been fed and watered the bed ¬ ding in each stall is shaken down the bandages on the absolutely sound horses are removed and the feet and legs of those not under suspicion are looked over for eternal vigilance is the price of safety on the race course as elsewhere If any of the horses need plating and all of those that are to race that day must be freshly shod the trainer now follows his charges to the smithy if one be convenient or generally speaking he goes to a particular stall in his own stable where his own blacksmith em ¬ ployed by the month docs the work workThe The plate or shoe is an exceedingly light protec ¬ tion of steel or aluminum for the rim of the hoof In cases where the horse is to race over a muddy or holding track plates with rims and sometimes toes are worn The blacksmith or plater as lie is called by the profession operates almost wholly under the direction of the trainer if the man is in the class that commands a yearly retainer of 10000 and upward and there are not a few who belong there thereThe The foot has to be trued and for this purpose a small slab of marble is used tire cutting being continued until the hoof is perfectly level All horses are not shod alike and it is here again that the master of his trade shows to advantage Thor ¬ oughbreds havent as many faults of gait to be cor ioctelas are found among their cousins of the trot ¬ ting turf but occasionally one is encountered that calls for all the farriers skill and the expert knowl ¬ edge of the practical trainer combined combinedThere There are some trainers who want to see every nail driven and it need scarcely be added that they are the men whose names are found at or near the top of the winning list each year Not a few of the experts have graduated from the plating trade themselves and they naturally know all the fine points of the trade tradeThe The horses having been galloped rubbed down fed plated and thoroughly put away to use a race ¬ track expression the trainer makes his entries for the following day and then has a few hours to himself or at his Ixtoks for most of them keep a record of every workout of each of the horses in their care The importance of keeping a record is apparent A horse mav be receiving a special prepa ¬ ration for one of the big prizes of the turf No man can afford to trust bis memory for particulars of that horses work especially when perhaps there are a score or more other Ijorses in the same mans charge Hence the importance of keeping a record so that there shall be no mistakes for one work too many or one too f y might destroy the razor edge and dull the candidates speed speedThere There are a few men training horses in America who can prepare a horse for a fixed event and with ¬ out giving him a public tryout in an actual race can tell within a fraction of a second how fast he should run on a crtain day This faculty is one of the features which distinguishes the master mind at the business Other men have to race their horses into condition and on the day of the big event the general public knows sis much about the speed and slamina of the contestant as the owner ownerNot Not the least of the trainers troubles especially if the stable lie trains for is the possessor of a fashionable jockey is the making of engagements for the rider Natnrallv the trainer is careful in Hie selection of the lioys mounts for he wauls to have him readv to fulfill the engagements of the liome stable atall times and horses of bud lumper which would be liable to injure the jockey are shunned as are some trainers and owners whose charges erform inconsistently inconsistentlySome Some of the trainers refuse to have anything to do with the riding engagements of their jockeys that work being entrusted to an agent who as a Hilt pay the feeij bHJs and employee and looks after some of the minor debits about the stable stableWork Work or play as the occasion demands brings Hie trainer up to luncheon time after which meal lie takes his field glasses and starts for the grandstand leaving instructions with his head lad what horses are to be raced that day and the time they are ex ¬ pected to be in the paddock At the course the trainer meets his friends and perhaps has half an hours conversation with his employer whose busi ¬ ness may have kept him away from the morning gallops for a week or more moreIf If this is the case he has to report progress made by the horses the condition of some horse which is perhaps being pointed for a big nice or sometimes when the owner is a heavy speculator for a coup In a selling or overnight race where the purse Is often given t the jockey for winning it sometimes the owner who may be a close student of the turf is consulted about the small races in which the horses are to be run lint as a general rule the trainer uses his own judgment about this and the man who only pays the bills is only asked for advice when a stake program is issued issuedAnother Another topic which may be discussed between the owner aiid his trainer on such occasions is the condition of the other horses in training for these men who live at the courses and who often eke out their wages with an occasional wager must have their eyes constantly open if they are to succeed Occasionally a friend on the outside with a liking for an oral wager gets some points on the days card and between this and gossiping with fellow trainers the time is passed till racing begins beginsIt It is the rule that all horses must be in the pad ¬ dock at least half an hour before the race in which they are engaged and the careful man never leaves the enclosure until he has whispered his final in ¬ structions to the jockey and seen him safely in the saddle Saddling the horse is never entrusted to any hands but his own ownThe The pads are placed so that the points of the shoulders are protected from bruises and the sad ¬ dle sometimes a combination of aluminum and leather and weighing not much more than a iwnnd is strapped securely in place with double girths After the saddle has been fastened each of tin horses forelegs is drawn forward in turn so that there may be no wrinkling of the tender skin In the brisket for It is only natural to suppose that the horse would stride with greater freedom if free from pain or chafing chafingHis His charge once out upon the track ready for the contest the trainer either secures a position in the stand where he can watch every foot of the race or goes into the infield where he has greater free ¬ dom of action It is an absolute impossibility for some men under stress of excitement to restrain their emotions and it is men of this class as a rule who view the running of their horses from the field They are generally accomiKinled by a friend and tins antics of some of them in a hardfought finish are amusing amusingAfter After the raw if it is not a selling affair and his horse has not won the trainer follows his charge to the paddock where perhaps he finds the owner already awaiting him If victory has been achieved there ia generally a handshake a word of congratu ¬ lation and the horses chances in some future event are discussed The horse is being scraped and rubbed down and the eager crowd whose desire to be with the winner manifests itself plainly on tin course or elsewhere press forward and watcli the animals toilet sometimes crowding so close that they have to be warned that a nice horses heels are steel shod shodIt It may be remarked in passing that few nice horses kick from wanton vicionsness when they an being groomed or done up Their skin is extremely tender and the frequent rubbing they receive lias an irritating effect ujwii it It is because they are l eing hurt that they lash out and bite with apparent fury at the men who hold ihcir heads during the operation operationOnce Once the rubbing ceases the eyes assume their tranquil gaze the ears are erect and when the light blankets nre in place and the walking process to cool the fevered blood liegins with a bunch of clover or a wisp of sweet hay to be nibbled from the attendants hand they are models of tractahility tractahilityIt It may happen that a horse lias won a selling event in which case it is the duty of the trainer lo represent his employer at the auction which fol ¬ lows If the horse is run up to H point where he is considered well sold he is let go but if tin amount offered does not represent what the trainer thinks he is worth lie is bid in for the stable It generally happens that there is no bid and the trainers presence at the stand is merely perfunc ¬ tory toryThe The racing for the day concluded the trainer goes to his stable where the horses an brought out for walking exercise generally taking this recreation in a ring near the quarters The best horse in the barn Is usually in the lead and as they pass in their clean cool white sheets witli a smart lad at their heads they make a handsome appearance While appearanceWhile they walk the trainer looks through I heir boxes to see that all is clean and regular then tin feed for the evening meal is allotted and placed In the stalls The horses are then looked over and after half an hours walk they are returned to their stalls and the boys and men have their dinner the trainers meal being again shared by some acquaint ¬ ance or if he is a married man by his wife or some other member of his family familyAfter After dinner if the trainer has a family and spends the nights at home instructions are given to the head lad and the days work for him is at an end If ho is a single man and lives at the stable he reads the newspapers or a liook or indulges in a game of cards with a caller or visits sunn of his fellows near by until nine oclock or so when he turns into bed to dream that his pet twoyearold has just won a big prize A healthy calling fol ¬ lowed by a lot of clean healthy men New York Sun
