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OLD TRAINING METHODS How Horses Went Through the Sweating Ordeal in England Back In the Fifties There Was Bo Auction AuctionClause Clause In the Selling SellingRace Race Rules Delving into oldtime training methods shows the wonderful advance that has been made in the preparation of the thorough ¬ bred for racing in the last fifty years Time was when the race horse was honed down so fine that he was not considered ready to bear the silks until all his ribs could be counted and no trainer would think of send ¬ ing a horse to the post that carried any flesh fleshNow Now some of our best horses look almost fat when they parade to the post but it is solid flesh that stands them in good stead through the arduous campaign But the cam ¬ paign is not as arduous as it was in those old days Horses are raced more often but they do not have so much taken out of them in their preparation preparationJ J PL Walsh who wrote with authority under the name of Stonehenge in the fifties published an Encyclopedia of Rural Sports that dealt extensively with the training of horses horsesIn In the seventh edition of this work pub ¬ lished in London in January of 1867 a part of Uiis instruction on the training of a horse for racing deals with the sveating which was considered the most important phase of the early training trainingTHE THE SWEATING PROCESS PROCESSThis This sweating went on right through the preparation but it is sufficient to tell of the first process to show just what the horse had to undergo undergoThis This is explained in the following followingThe The mode of sweating is as follows and as it is done at this time in the morning it is well to describe it at this place It is generally the practice to keep back three horses besides the sweater in order that their lads may assist for it is an operation which re ¬ quires a gcod deal of help as will presently be understood understoodAVhen AVhen the sweat is to be a general one and no part in particular is over ¬ loaded it is usual to put an old rug first or a sheet called a sweater and an extra hood and breastcloth then a second quarterpiece and lastly a com ¬ plete set of clothing over all with the saddle as usual usualBut But when particular parts are to bo reduced as for instance the shoulders or parts of the brisket or bosom an ex ¬ tra cloth is folded and strapped up to the breastplate straps on the withers or retained by the saddle if for the brisket only onlyWhen When all arc securely fixed the horse is ridden out and after walking a short time he is started off for his distance which is generally four miles and is slowly and steadily kept galloping Aor threequarters of it at the expiration of which he is set going a little faster and at last is brought out to his top speed speedRUBBING RUBBING FOR AX HOUR HOURThen Then this book of instruction went on to tell of how the horse is to be handled when back from a work He is to be watered and done up for at least threequarters of an hour or an hour It is cautioned that while this is going on there should be plenty of litter in the box for the horse is liable to knock himself about considerably during the operation This rubbing must fairly have set the skin on fire and it is small wonder that the horse would knock him ¬ self about considerably considerablyAnd And it took the English turfmen a long time to change that method The Ameri ¬ can trainers who went abroad had much to do with a change in the training methods and now that severe sweating is no longer a part of the preparation a horse has to undergo to be made ready to race The English trainers learned from the Ameri ¬ cans just as tiic English jockeys learned from our riders that went abroad abroadWhen When the hoi ECS were subjected to all these ordeals to make ready for a race they were only started a few times in a season and it was considered a remarkably busy year if a horse went to the post as many as fifteen times timesFor For races of a greater distance than a mile from KJ 12 to 1 seconds per furlong was the highest rate of speed for a threeyearold carrying 119 pounds Among the record makers of that time were Surplice Cymba Blink Bonny Beadsman Butterfly Carac tacus Fille de 1Air and Gladiateur Then came Kettledrum Kingston and Blair Athol Sir Tatton Sykes and West Australian The fastest rate of speed shown by any of them averaged 13 seconds to the furlong furlongSELLING SELLING RULE OF THE DAY DAYAnd And back in those days there was no auction clause in the selling race rule in England though it was afterward amended to permit the auction The rule in the fifties read How the winner may be claimed When it is made a condition of any plate or sweepstakes that the winner may be sold for any given sum the owner of the second horse being first entitled etc No other person than the one who ran a horse In the race shall be entitled to claim The claim must be made to the judges the clerk of the scales the clerk of the course or one of the stewards present within a quarter of an hour after the race The horse claimed shall not be delivered till he is paid for and he must be paid for by 10 oclock at night on the day of the race otherwise the party claiming shall not be entitled to demand the horse at any future period but nevertheless that owner of the winning horse may insist upon the claimant taking and paying for the horse claimed claimedClaim Claim of beaten horses horsesAny Any horse running for a selling stake or plate is liable to be claimed by the owner of any other horse in the race for the price for which he is entered to be sold and the amount of the stake the owner of the second horse to be first entitled to claim and the winner to have the last claim claimHorses Horses running for a race which Is excepted by special conditions from the operation of this rule are not qualified to be entered for a handicap at any meeting professed to be subject to the established rules of racing racingNo No person can claim more than one horse in the same race raceIf If two or more persons equally en ¬ titled wish to claim they shall draw lots for the priority priorityIt It will be seen by the third paragraph of this rule that the governors of the sport saw fit to put an extra prohibition against a horse of handicap quality parading among the selling platers by reason of special con ¬ ditions that exempted him from being claimed
