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. 1 i . t i • ,. ,. . , . ,, " and t - 1: - - I e t TRAINING THE THOROUGHBRED. Methods that John E. Madden Has Followed Successfully in Handling Race Horses. , An article on the training of the thoroughbred 1 from the Beat of John B. Madden, originally written ! in 1911 is entitled "Modern Training Methods." and 1 coming from such eminent authority is well worth 1 reproduction. It is as follows; In training the thoroughbred of today there are certain rules very essential to the success of the horse. First and foremost. I would say regular feeding. good oats and hay. bran and grass and regular work. ; On work days be sure that the horse has had 1 ample time to digest his food. Should the trainer be a betting man he generally likes to wager on his horse the first time he starts. This is often followed with bad results, since to know that your horse can win the first time must J have required fast trials. One can win his first 1 l et. but at th- cost of a good horse, leaving him quite often in a nervous condition and perhaps a I breakdown. It take* a skillful trainer to handle successfully a nervous horse. A good foreman, a good night t watchman and a good exercise bey. weighing about 110 pounds, who will adopt th" balance seat Sloan 1 re-established, which was shown in tlie Herald to have beta neci by the riders ferae hundred years I ago. are very necessary in the training of horses. Dont overlook the necessity of having an owner with plenty of money. It is important that the night watchman report I the behavior of the horse during the night of his , work day. He may not lie down, which indicates s nervousness, the result of overwork. The trailer tofeajr strives to keep his horse in 1 h.gh flesh. It requires a skillful trainer to prepare a horse t not having started dining the season ami have 1 him good for his first race. If a trainer has a trial horse t.i be used in connection - with preparing his horse it is of greater benefit than half a dozen workouts and gives the I trainer a better line on his condition. Much de-j - pemls. of course, upon the horse you are preparing r for loi:g races. You have to take into cui-idera-. tioti the age, degree of soundness, constitution and 1 di-position anil more especially those with extreme e speed, known :1s sprinter--, which, if easily placed, may he on-pared to g 1 a distance. One that can ; not be placed will fail over a dstance. as whether r you let h:m run out or take him back he usually v runs just as fast "inside." rreoi:ii:-ly 1 hear of a horse described as a a •quitter." or it is often mentioned that he stops. . This is a re-onimcndation for the horse, as. after I all. c are trying to arced a fast horse and onty y Caat horses stop and quit. I belive there ate plentv of stayers, or hordes now in trailing that would run stayers if they v were trained to do so. but the opportunity for their r dew.ii:;e!!t in this particular line does not exist t in the same degree as it did in the past. The breed is as Kt*A. and indeed better, today v than «i- n I ng-dlataare l.ning was aa attraritoa II in the tart irarM. Btaybai i- m Brack « matter of t tratntas and ;- la so great decree a oaerelj reja- , tree attribute thai It 1 dlnVall to fcaage t; •■ 1 of tin- stayer •■: osje llaae w.ih those ot Ihe suj r "i Biather. ah Baaaal horaea can slay at their own pace. The e horse is celebrated for bis power of endurance, that t is lu say, for his ability to stay. What is wtaut b bv a a n h he c t r a of s t to S - I I i t 1 I 1 ■ f j i * 1 I l J I : J . • , ; a good stayer is an animal which can last longer over a distance of ground at a better pace than his 1 antagonist. Though all or several of his opimnents : may be able to move at a higher rate of speed than can over a part of that distance, but withal, are constitutionally unable to maintain their efforts for the same length of time as the stayer and in ac-eordaneo to what the stayers speed is. so is he , reckoned among the good, moderate or inferior class slavers. Those who decry the race horse of today en the ground that in his rase, every quality is sacrificed speed either entirely overlooked or do not understand the term slaving. They fail to see that speed — to which they assert everything is wrongly sacrificed—is in itself the very bedrock of staying power. Of course, in saying that staying is to a great extent a matter of training, it is not intended to be implied that a horse constitutionally a non-stayer can be made to stay by simply training him to run long distances. As a rule, when horses are really mn stayers the* are so from physical conformation or lack of breeding. Take the quarter horse, a combination of hot and cold blood. What is it that anchors him— the cold or hot blood? A natural non stayer cannot be .trained hata a stayer. P.ut many a horse, judged by the running of his early days "to be a non-stayer, has proved on being trained to run long distances to possess staying powers of high order. If there is an incentive to owners to look out as niuch for stayers as for speed milers. horses able to go a distance will soon be found in largely increased numbers. A good many horses which in these times are branded as i cor stayers would have been considered good enough in that resjiect in the older davs when races were certainly not run as fast as they are now. I won the Annual Champion, two and one-quarter miles, value u.00O. with Salvidere and King James. Half Mere was delicate and unsound; fortunately he did not require much work. King James was different — a glutton at the feed box as well as work. It was necessary to repeat this horse, something I have often done and with good results. His final work for this stako was one and one-quarter miles in 2:11, and twenty-five minutes after I repeated him a half mile in forty-nine seconds. Salvidere worked handily a mile and a half in 2::;.s. but was not repeated. It is easy to train a good horse. A good horse is dangerous in anybodys hands, tlie same as a shotgun is in a cornfield "niggers" bauds. A horse will usually show his condition at feeding time and. if nervous, work should be posti oned. Nervous hejraea are often subject to scouring. Frequently you bear of fast trials for big events. Those are given, generally, by young trainers just beginning their career, but as they grow older you will note a change in their methods and they wwk instead of running trials against the watch. The American trainer is a great caretaker, spending much money for liniments to be used on legs and body, which remove soreness after a hard work-out or a race. The trainer of today uses grass freely instead of the medicine ball. Horses which are expected to take part on the prominent tracks around New York generally commence their work about January 15. Many trainers do not commence until the first of February and are confined to the shed, as the weather, climate and roads on metropolitan tracks seldom permit of door work at that time. Some horses are given as much as from five to seven miles of slow jogf- daily tinder the shed until the weather onens up. The trainer considers himself fortunate if he can get on the course t» 1 early as St Patricks day. when, after about two 1 weeks of slow galloping, miles are made in about two minutes, and then you gradually work up to a mile in 1:45. This is the point where you can determine the soundness and constitution of your . horse. A horse with a good constitution can be , given more work than those to which nature has i not been so kind. Very few blankets are used by the American trainer. Every effort is made to keep as much flesh 1 as possible on the horse. Lightweight linseys are mostly used and they take the place of the old time woolen blanket. American weather, especially when it is very hot. makes American training methods different from 1 Knglish methods, as the weather in England i» * g nerally cold. After the spring work-out the rendition of his ; wind will show tin- condition of the horse. Oenerally two days are given lietwoon work and I the horses are then indulged in trotting and slow gallops. Some horses will race to their best form when 1 given slow breezing every other day and at no 1 time a fast trial. With a stable of twenty horses there might be but two which require the same treatment to race ; successfully. Judgment must be used in estimating the individual qualities of your horses as to soundness, constitution and disposition. Sobriety is most desirable in a trainer, and a good 1 jockey always adds to the success of the horse. It is necessary that you have discipline of the , strictest kind in a racing stable, and the m .re gentle the attendant or the caretaker the better the I results. Remember this, a horse only knows wh.at you teach him. When a horse shows fear of his attendant the man has abused him and should lie discharged. A thoroughbred, like the works of a watch, needs careful handling. 1 : , In mating much attention should lie paid to disposition and constitution, for a good disposition and a strong constitution, with the ever necessary gift of speed, makes the stake horse. He ran lay off the pace in the early stages of a race and win. The lxginncr will often tell yon that he is going to breed stayers only. I know then lh.it he is going to breed a lot of slow horses. I have been asked regarding color and size of a good nice horse. This is a difficult aajwttoa iod often a matter of fancy. The old saying is • 1 B1 — a good gamecock EsbH no bail color. Now as to size, m.-inv big turnips are hallow. Less blanks are likely to follow the s-le.ti. n af BBsaU or medium siz. d yearling;. Tie yearlb 1 fills your eyes as to size is often t; o big v. v is two years old. I approve of the big horse if you judge him by : • scales instead of the tape or standard. In case of iliness or lameness consult a rcputii !•■ veterinarian. Beware of quacks who cure all ailments or profess to do so. In case of lameness very frequently the trainer or owner resorts to the firing iron or severe blister ton quickly. Fran hitter experience I am aa afraid af the tiring iron as the devil is of holy water. Many cases of lameness can be cured by rising cooling lotions with eattaa anil a bandage, ■eaaaaa the shoes. trim the feet so they will have frog pressure, turn toe horse into a paddock two bean in the morning and two hours in the afterm-on. In many eaaea it is well to give a mild purgative, taper tally in the case of grt ss hof-cs. Cut their grain down to one-half of what toe* were being given while- in training. Instead of using a seven blister ha the lea you will get better results if yon ap;ily a mild blister on the horses back directly where the saddle is placed. This will insure a rest of afeaat two weeks, then the blister will be healed, aari by this time the cooling loticn has removed the fever from the leg, and you have lost very little time.
