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t , t 1 1 : 1 : 1 1 1 : 1 , ; 1 1 : DO NOT UNDERSTAND OUR LANGUAGE. A somewhat amusing situation is alleged to have developed in some of our eastern stables, which possess French-bred horses. Racers bred in France do not understand English, and this fact is cnusing the trainers, hostlers and stnble lads a heap of trouble. A few of the trainers and many of the older jockeys have been employed from time to time in France, and their services are in demand as interpreters at the tracks these mornings. The situation would be wholly farcical but for the owners fear that they will not have the highly valued imported horses properly groomed and ridden through the lack of understanding between the men and the French equines. When an exorcising boy wants a racer to stop he forgets his lessons and shouts "Whoa!" The French horse understands only "Garde!" and breaks into a faster gallop unless the jockey is strong enough to check him by main strength, or, which is seldom the case, happens to recall the French word he needs. "Get up!" shouts another boy, as he urges his mount from a walk into a canter, but the horse, which has his ears cocked to hear the order "Al-lons!" maintains a snaillike rate of progress. Then the boy starts something, and the trainer has an uneasy moment until he restores peace between horse and rider. "Swipes," as the hostlers arc always dubbed around the racing stables, have even greater woes. The French horses, in their ignorance of good old race course slang, simply wont "get over there," "come, back up now!" or "quit your kicking, dang you!" but continue to balTle by a stupid misunderstanding of the painstaking efforts of the stable hands to currycomb, brush down or to saddle and bridle their charges. No sign language has so far been discovered to bring about a mutual good understanding between the human beings and the French horses. The owners and trainers are in a quandary, for slow training will have the horses backward in condition when the time comes to send them to the nost. Meantime, every barn o nights is an experimental school of languages. There is on chance to break the dead-lock by importing French hostlers and exercising lads, for the ones needed are fighting for their country. Either time must be taken to tench the horses American words or training must go forward in a halting manner until the "swipes" and the stable lads learn the French code words. The owners of two-year-olds and older French or Euglish-bred horses in training at the three tracks include O. K. G. Billings, William R. Coe, James Butler, A. K. Macomber, II. I. Whitney, Irving Wheatcroft, Frederick Johnson. Grant Hugh Browne, Gilford A. Cochran, Archibald Barklie and F. Watterson of the Mirasol Stable.
