About Horses

Tbo present racing soason that has but just fairly oponed has proved the most disastrous for many years to the owners of valuable horses. The list of celebrated racers killed or disabled in. their prime was already a long one, when news cauie that Torn Bowling, king of the turf, had ruptured one of the tendons of his left t'oreleg. His namu raust be addod to those of Asteroid, Longfellow, Hubbard, Milesian, Duffy, AYeathercock, True Blue, Victor, and Tatnmany. The owner of Tom Bowling had refused an offer of $75,000 for him. Now the broken down champion leaves the field to Springbok, Preakness, and Wanderer - his only rivals among the multitude of racers. The many aocidents that have happennd to celebrated horses suggest the questioa whether, in the course of training that has been adopted in this country, too much stress is not laid upon speed and too little attention pairt to the intellience of the animal. The system of preparation for the field is entirely artificial. There is no attempt to train in gentleness. Only the second3 of time are taken into consideration. Nothing is thought of but a grand burst of speed in the briefest poBsible space of time, and the money 1 hat is to be made by it. In Bowling's case the training developed every vicious propensity of the brute, and he could with difficulty bo brought down to hia work when requiied. In the case of an animal possessing so much intelligence, it would naturally be thought that an eduoation and dovolopment of hia inatincts (which some would go so far as to cali his reasoning faculties) would be of advan-' tage to tho owner as well as the beast. It wojild be worth while to make a change and try another rnethod, for the present system leads inevitably to disaster. There is another view of the subject that deserves also careful consideration. Ab he is reared now the racer is as tender as a green-house plant. The slightest glip of the fuot ie liable to lame hiin for life. His 'training is so unnatural and the strain put upon his powers is 80 sovere that the exposure of a moment may work him deadly harra. For this reason it happened that Bowling broke down in the tendón of his leg while taking his daily exercise. Longfellow, Asteroid, and Uubbard had auffered their injury in the saine place. A mere fibre hung between their fame as kings of the turf and a life of comparativo useleasness. It will continue to be so while the present system of training remains in vogue. Cannot the owners of valuable horses be convinced that reform in this direction will