Recollections of men and horses

Front matter

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Preface

At the close of 1904 Hon. James Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture, reported that the value of farm products In the United States for that year was $4,900,000,000 — nearly double the gross earnings of the railroads added to the value of the production of all the mines of the country for the same period. This official statement opened the eyes of feverish municipalities to the Importance of agricultural life. The value of horses owned by farmers Is placed at $1,150,000,000. In 1905 horses Increased In number to 17,000,000, and In value to $1,200,000,000. The type of the farm horse has been elevated by the dissemination of blood, the virtue of which was proved by the sharpest of physical tests. For generations the progressive farmer has striven to excel in the creation of an animal combining activity with strength, and his trial ground has been the road and oval at the County or District Fair. He has labored unceasingly to eliminate the running gait, and to establish the trotting gait. The harness horse, not the saddle horse, has been his hope and pride. It Is only In the large city, where speculation, mildly speaking, borders on the hysterical, that the running horse is a popular favorite. The farmers, who dominate the national life, gather at the tracks of smaller

PREFACE

centers of activity to gratify a desire for excitement and to enlarge the human understanding by watching the distribution of prizes among trotters and pacers. The tracks on which the hght harness horse performs are counted by the thousand, and the results of races on which comparatively little money is risked have shown the way to a standard of excellence. In 1906 speculation was restricted or prohibited in some localities, but as a rule the meetings were never so largely attended or the races more earnestly contested, thus demonstrating beyond cavil the strong hold of trotting on the public at large. In " The Trotting and the Pacing Horse in America," published in July, 1904, I have given a compact history of harness speed evolution, and the reader is referred to It for a grouping of foundation families. In these pages I have enlarged upon the subject, and given personal recollections of the men, as well as horses, who played conspicuous parts In the formative era of breeds and track discipline. Millions of people are deeply Interested In the question, and I have endeavored to discuss It from a high standpoint and to reflect the truth as revealed by thousands of letters, many of which. In being kept so long from the public eye, show the ravages of time. At the urgent request of George B. Raymond, I undertook this task, and, when I grew weary of It, was encouraged to go on by one In whose judgment I had confidence, whose loyalty was sincere, whose sympathy was responsive, whose religion was to speak kindly of those

vi

PREFACE

with whom she was brought in contact, and upon whose face the eternal shadow fell, even while the wonderful sunshine of Colorado was flooding the landscape with a glory which rivaled In poetic conception that of the throne upon which Wisdom sits and reads as a child does its "ABC" the profound Mystery which so staggers Intellects not freed by Faith as to cause them to take refuge in " I do not Know."

Hamilton Busbey.

New York, March, 1907.

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Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. The Corner Stone of Breeding . i

II. General Grant as a Lover of Horses 7

Chapter I The Corner Stone Of Breeding

After a formal dinner on New Yearns Eve the guests adjourned to the library and were spinning yarns over cigars. The host, reclining In a big armchair, was absorbed in thought, but roused himself and said:

" Gentlemen, you saw Flora this afternoon and noticed that she was big with promise. She Is my best brood mare, and I have nominated her In the Produce Stake, colts to trot at two and three years old. As you well know the age of a horse dates from January ist, and I have planned to have the foal come the second or third day of the New Year. Everything Is going smoothly, and. If there Is no slip, the foal will be well grown as a yearling, and should be fleet and strong as a two-year-old. The way to win rich stakes Is to have early foals. The one that is born May 2d, when opposed by one born January 2d, takes up a handicap of four months. The start on the road to development will beat him If nothing else does."

" I agree with you," remarked one of the guests, " but do you not risk a great deal In drawing It so fine? Suppose the foal should come before the clock strikes twelve to-night? "

I

" Good gracious, why do you make such a suggestion! You give me the cold shivers. If the birth should be premature, good-by to all of my fond hopes."

The host looked so serious that other guests ridiculed the idea that anything at this late hour could go wrong. At eleven o'clock, when the " Good old mountain dew " chorus was filling the room and the echoes were rising through the frosty air to greet the stars, the foreman, lantern In hand, stood in the big hall, and replied to the hurried question of the host, if anything had gone wrong, that the noise of toy cannons In the village had so greatly upset Flora as to bring on labor pains. The newborn at that very moment was lying on a bed of straw in the big box stall. The cloud of disappointment on the face of the host was so unmistakable that one of the merrymakers remarked: "Why keep count of an hour? If your foreman had not come to us with his tale of woe, we should not have discovered the foal until morning, and then the record would have been born January ist."

" Such false records may be made, under strong temptation on some farms, but never on this. Deep as my disappointment is, the colt, when the clock strikes twelve, will be, under the racing rule, a yearling instead of a suckling. I played to reduce the handicap and have made the weight crushing. Well, it is a chance I took, and I must abide by the result. Gentlemen, once more the chorus! "

THE CORNER STONE OF BREEDING

Premature birth has marked the greatest epochs in history. When Joseph, the carpenter of the village of Nazareth, was driven with Mary, his wife, by an edict of Augustus, to a weary journey on foot to Bethlehem, and the humble pair arrived at the Inn and found It so crowded with strangers that they had to clear a corner In the Inn yard for a lodging place, anxiety and fatigue hastened the birth of the Child. " I never felt the full pathos of the scene," writes James Stalker, " till, standing one day in a room of an old Inn In the market town of Elsleben, In central Germany, I was told that on that very spot, four centuries ago, amidst the noise of a market day and the bustle of a public house, the wife of a poor miner, Hans Luther, who happened to be there on business, being surprised like Mary, with sudden distress, brought forth In sorrow and poverty the child who was to become Martin Luther, the hero of the Reformation and the maker of modern Europe."

Flora's foal was not able to compete in the two-year-old division of the Produce Stake, owing to the noisy celebration of village lads, but In escaping early training, the vitality of the colt was preserved for tasks In other fields, and, as a progenitor of speed, he obtained renown and enriched the world.

Integrity Is the corner stone of the breeding structure. The business transactions of a well-conducted stock farm are as free from deception as the transactions of any business of good repute. The accuracy of pedigree is guaranteed by the strictly enforced rules of registration, and the correctness of time records is fostered by the far-reaching machinery governing track contests. Through vigilance that is sleepless and through discipline that is unbending, type has been elevated and the speed standard advanced. Nowhere are the fruits of Law more apparent than in the breeding industry.

At the close of the trotting season of 1903 Lou Dillon had a record of 1.5 8^, and Major Delmar a record of 1.59I, with pacemaker and shield in front. The court of last resort placed the shield performances in a class by themselves, and in 1904 there was a general return to unpaced records. The earnest rivalry was still between Lou Dillon and Major Delmar, and at the close of the campaign the bay gelding by Delmar out of Expectation stood higher than ever before. He trotted at Memphis October 24 to a record of 2.0 1|, and at the same place October 26 he beat the high-wheel sulky record of Maud S., 2.o8f, made In Cleveland in 1885. His time was 2.07. October 18 at Memphis Major Delmar defeated Lou Dillon to wagon for the Memphis gold cup. The mare was not in good shape for such a contest, and the time was slow, 2.07, 2.18^. Lou Dillon finally recovered her form and at Memphis, November 11, reduced her sulky record to 2.01. It was clearly demonstrated by the performances of both horses that the pacemaker In front

THE CORNER STONE OF BREEDING

is a material help to the horse going for a fast record. At the Old Glory sale in Madison Square Garden in November, 1904, Major Delmar was knocked down to the highest bidder, C. K. G. Billings, whose offer was $15,000. Through the purchase of Major Delmar Mr. Billings now controls the issues so sharply drawn in 1903 and 1904. The Queen and the King could not be in the hands of anyone who has more at heart the best interests of the trotting horse.

September 19, 1904, Robert E. Bonner addressed a letter to the Boston Herald^ resenting the insinuation that his family held fast to the belief that Maud S. represented the limit of trotting speed.

" Allow me to say, no member of the Bonner family made such an absurd claim. About a year ago, in a communication to the New York Sun, I said: * In common with the majority of horsemen, I believe that Lou Dillon can beat Maud S.'s time when she starts under the same conditions that obtained when Maud S. made her mile in 2.o8|.' After a year has elapsed I think I can safely add to that statement by saying that, in common with the majority of horsemen, I believe that there are now two trotters (Lou Dillon and Major Delmar) who can surpass Maud S.'s performance, notwithstanding that about every world-beater since Maud S. made her mile in 2.o8f, in July, 1885, with the exception of Major Delmar, has started to surpass Maud S.'s performance and failed, the best time made in these trials being 2.09J by both Nancy Hanks and Lou Dillon."

After the publication of this letter Major Delmar succeeded in carrying the high-wheel record down to 2.07. Lou Dillon is now in brood-mare ranks, and under the revised rule a record cannot be made by a horse preceded by a pacemaker. There Is no longer bitterness of feeling between the Bonner and the Billings families.

Chapter II General Grant As A Lover Of Horses

General U. S. Grant was fond of horses as a boy, and, In his period of obscurity in Missouri previous to the Civil War, the horse assisted him to bread and butter. When In command of the army, he rode good horses and Insisted that they should be as well cared for as circumstances would allow. After he had passed through the campaign which made him President of the United States, his admiration for the trotter on the road Increased. He accepted an Invitation from that stern churchman, Robert Bonner, to ride on Harlem Lane behind Dexter, and was as enthusiastic as a taciturn soldier could be over the elastic movement of the king of trotters. On the way back to town Mr. Bonner asked, '' General, would you like to take the reins? " " Yes," said the President-elect, and a new light came into the eyes. The white-faced and whitelegged gelding seemed to feel the touch of a master hand, and he stepped with a conscious feeling of pride and obeyed readily. After a brush on the smooth road, which was suggestive of the force of the whirlwind. General Grant exclaimed: " Bonner, I like to ride this way. You had better give me the horse." The silence which followed was almost painful. Mr. Bonner cheerfully would have given the price of Dexter to avoid replying, but he liked the horse too well to part with him. Finally he said: " I do not think that I can spare him just yet," and turned the conversation Into other channels. Ehnlnger's crayon, " Taking the Reins," of General Grant driving Dexter to a road wagon with Robert Bonner by his side, was received with much approbation by the people of the nation, and It was suggestive of events to come. In the White House President Grant firmly held the reins. In Washington President Grant watched carefully over his stables, and even sought lessons In shoeing from Alexander Dunbar. He took his summer vacations at Long Branch, and he drove a spirited pair on the roads of that watering place. In talking horse he found relaxation, because It took his mind from the perplexing questions of State. He established a trotting horse breeding farm in Missouri, but, as he was unable to give It personal supervision. It was not a pronounced success. He delighted In visiting Stony Ford, and discussing breeding questions with Charles Backman. He was charmed by the hospitality of Stony Ford, and was assured that within Its gates he was safe from the Importunities of politicians. The stallions, brood mares, and colts greatly Interested him, and. In driving through the fields where the carpet of green was buttoned down by the gold of dandelions, he studied with critical eye the out-

GENERAL GRANT AS A LOVER OF HORSES

lines of foals and attempted to predict their future. In that realm of peace doubtless his thoughts often reverted to the turbulent scenes of war, of which he grew weary when the great Captain of the South, Robert E. Lee, laid down his sword.

It was In the autumn of the year after General Grant's second term In the White House that a select party was at Stony Ford. The air was bracing, but a trifle crisp for an Invalid, and Mr. Backman had a top wagon drawn under the trees at the edge of the training track. In this General Grant took his seat and, well-wrapped up, had a full view of the mile course, and held his watch on the young trotters. When the horses were not in action, the eyes of the General rested upon the banks of the Walkill, where the sumac and thornapple blushed scarlet, and beyond upon the Shawangunk, over which hung a veil as delicate as any ever woven by the looms of man. He was a little weary when assisted from the wagon and walked with hesitating step to the house, and up the broad stairs into the large smoking-room. He took a seat In a big leather-cushioned chair, lighted a strong cigar, and smoked It almost In silence. He looked through the windows out upon the fair fields, while the smoke curled upward, then suddenly threw away the stump of fragrant tobacco, and said: " Backman, that Is my last cigar. I shall never smoke another."

Excessive smoking had Injured his health, and he kept his word. In a series of articles which I contributed In 1896 to Scrihner^s Magazine, on the *' Evolution of the Trotting Horse " is a full-page illustration of " A Typical Evening in the Smoking Room at Stony Ford." It was drawn by W. R. Leigh from nature and from photographs, and attracted much attention. General Grant is sitting in the big chair near the center-table, smoking and In deep thought. Next to him is Robert Bonner talking In his emphatic way. Then comes Charles Backman in his favorite rocking chair, and then Benjamin F. Tracy In a chair with his arm resting on a timeworn sofa. Standing to the right of General Grant is William C. Whitney. Mr. Leigh had the advice of Mr. Backman in posing the figures, and the scene is as historically correct as such scenes usually are. When I turn to the picture, I am reminded of the change which attends the footsteps of time. It fills me with sadness to think that, at the time I write, Benjamin F. Tracy is the only member of the group who Is alive. All the others have gone to explore the mysteries of the Beyond.

I shall carry with me to the end of life's pilgrimage the picture of General Grant as I saw him on the field of Shiloh. The slaughter had been dreadful, and the timely crossing of the Tennessee by the army of General Buell changed defeat into victory. For a time Grant was out of favor at Washington, and, as he rode from camp to camp that April morning, his face was stern to sadness. There were no outbursts from the soldiers who had borne the brunt of

GENERAL GRANT AS A LOVER OF HORSES

conflict, but they regarded the taciturn commander with silent sympathy. General Grant was well mounted and it was evident that his horse was regarded by him with affection. He passed from view, and the question was how long the shadow of Halleck, who came from Stanton, would rest upon him.

In the summer of 1866 Jerome Park was opened and people from all sections of a once-dlvlded land were In the throng. Those who had worn the Gray with honor touched elbows with those who had given distinction to the Blue, and General Grant was there surrounded by a brilliant company. Thousands of eyes rested upon him, but he bore the scrutiny without flinching. His eyes kindled over the close finishes on the saddlebags course, showing that love of the high-bred horse was always with him, but the lips usually were silent. Numerous attempts were made after this to get him to tracks where thoroughbreds sported silk, but a polite excuse for not accepting Invitations was found. In 1879, after his triumphal tour of the world, he went to the Oakland track In California to see St. Jullen trot against the 2.13I of Rarus, and the success of the horse aroused his enthusiasm. He left the judges' stand to visit St. Jullen In his stall and to offer his personal congratulations to Orrin A. HIckok, the driver of the gelding.

In my file I find a copy of a letter to Mr. Bonner, dated ^' Headquarters of the Army of the United States, March 30th, 1868 ":

II

" I hope by the time your present stock Is broken down by old age to present you a pair of my own raising, better than you have now. The next ten years ought to produce something that will go In 2.IO. If you hold out as well as the Commodore has, you will still then be young enough to hold the reins over such stock.

" U. S. Grant.'^

At the time this was written Dexter, with his record of 2. 1 7 J, was the trotting king and the shining light of Mr. Bonner's stable. In after years two horses with records better than 2.10 to high-wheel sulky were occupants of the stable, but neither was bred by General Grant.

General U. S. Grant tells us in his personal memoirs that as a boy his father, Jesse R. Grant, found a home In the family of Judge Tod, the father of the late Governor Tod of Ohio, and remained there until he was old enough to learn a trade. John Tod, one of the sons of Governor Tod, was for many years a prominent owner of trotting horses, and, prior to the William Edwards regime, was the President of the Driving Park Association at Cleveland. George Tod, the brother of John, Is a distinguished breeder and owner of trotting horses at Youngstown, Ohio.

** I detested trade,'' writes General Grant, " preferring almost any other labor; but I was fond of agriculture, and of all employment In which horses were used. When I was about eleven years old, I

GENERAL GRANT AS A LOVER OF HORSES

was strong enough to hold a plow. From that age until seventeen I did all the work done with horses, such as breaking up the land, furrowing, plowing corn and potatoes, bringing in the crops when harvested, hauling all the wood, besides attending two or three horses, a cow or two, and sawing wood for stoves, etc., while still attending school."

Before he was fifteen he began trading horses with varying degrees of success. Brought up as he was, it is not strange that admiration for the horse of high form and action should have intensified with the years. He was a student of pedigree and perfectly at home in the saddle or behind a fast trotter.

Chapter III

Robert Bonner was born in Londonderry, Ireland, April 28, 1824, and was brought up a strict Presbyterian. When fifteen years old, he came to the United States with his mother and brothers and sisters, and entered the printing office of the Courant at Hartford, Conn. He was ambitious to excel and worked over hours to learn as much as it was possible to learn about the business. He came to New York in 1844 and founded the New York Ledger, making a phenomenal success of it. He accumulated a large fortune and spent money generously to uplift humanity and to advance the interests of breeding. He despised shams and resolutely set his face against the foibles of fashionable society. His associates were the intellectual men, the dominating spirits of his day and generation. It was my good fortune to win his confidence, to study him behind the scenes as It were, to see him in all of his moods, and to closely advise with him. I always found him as true as the magnet to the pole, never stooping to deception, unflinchingly advocating what he believed to be right, never swayed by public clamor, and his word was in truth as good as his bond. There is much that I should like to write about him, which

I cannot do, because, although he has preceded me across the river which separates night from morning, the seal of confidence is still on my lips. And yet I feel at liberty to make extracts from the hundreds of letters in my possession. There was never a more enthusiastic horseman than Robert Bonner, and his heart was adamant when you sought to persuade him to deviate even a little from the policy which he had mapped out in the beginning. He was not the slave of Dogma, but he kept faith with the Church, while indulging a fancy for speed In light harness. He did not pull the Church down to the level of tricksters, but took the horse of high form and action and lifted it into an atmosphere respected by the Church. To do this was no easy task. Perseverance, tact, and courage were necessary to success. From the memoranda published by Mr. Bonner In the spring of 1895 ^ extract:

"In July, 1856, when I bought my first trotting horse, there were only 19 horses, including the living and the dead, that had trotted a mile in 2.30. Now there are 10,539 '^^ ^^^ ^^^t. In the summer of that year, 1856, I came near breaking down from overwork. My personal friend and family physician, Doctor Samuel Hall, advised me to get a horse and take an hour's exercise every morning in the open air. He not only gave me the advice, but he actually purchased the horse for me. So that if I have done anything to stimulate the interest that nearly all Americans take in the trotting horse, the credit Is due in no small degree to Dr. Hall. The increase, when you come to think of It, In one man's lifetime, from 19 to 10,539, seems to be almost beyond belief. . . . Besides such record-breakers as Dexter, 2.17^; Rarus, 2. 13 J; Maud S., 2.o8f, and Sunol, 2.08^, I own or have owned, Alfred S., record 2.16^; Edwin Forrest, record 2.18 — trial 2.1 if; PIckard, record 2.18^; Ansel, record 2.20; Music, record 2.214 ; Molsey, record 2.2 if; Joe Elliott, the first horse to trot a public trial In 2.15 J; May Bird, record 2.21; Peerless, trial 2.23^ to wagon — driven by Hiram Woodruff — the fastest mile the great driver ever drove any horse ; Elf rida, record 2. 13 J; Grafton, record 2.22^; Pocahontas, record 2.26f — trial 2.17!; Startle, the first Easternbred three-year-old to get a record of 2.36, and the first horse to trot a public trial on Fleetwood in 2.19. To this list I could add Maud Macey, Lady Stout, and several others with records better than 2.30; to say nothing of Lady Palmer and Flatbush Maid, the first team to trot a public trial in 2.26, over thirty years ago."

Among the brood mares enumerated by Mr. Bonner were Russella, own sister to Maud S. ; Jessie Kirk, dam of Majolica, record 2.15, and Miss Majolica, 2.244 ; Daybreak, by Harold (sire of Maud S.), dam Midnight (the dam of Jay-eye-see) ; Lady Stout, the first trotter to beat 2.30 as a three-year-old; Lady Winfield, sister to Sheridan, record 2.20|; Lucy Cuyler, trial to skeleton wagon 2. 15 J, and a half mile to top road wagon at Fleetwood in 1.05; Manetta, trial 2. 16 J, and Maud Macey, trial 2.i6|. The performances of these horses were made without the advantage of ball-bearing axles and pneu- |

matic tires, which in the opinion of good judges '

increased speed on an average from five to six I

seconds. j

In the memoranda of 1897 Mr. Bonner stated 1

that he had expended about $600,000 in the purchase of trotting horses. " To those friends who have criticised me for having paid so much money for horses, I may be pardoned for saying that I have given away a much larger sum for religious and |

benevolent purposes." Attention was modestly called i

to the fact that over 100 horses with public records !

could be traced to animals bred on his farm at Tarrytown. j

'' But the thing of all others in connection with I

horses, if I except the great benefit to my health |

from driving them, which necessarily keeps me out of doors, that has afforded me the most gratification is the improvement I have been able to make in I

the speed of those I have purchased, and the consequent relief from suffering and lameness the poor animals experienced after coming into my possession j

and having their feet treated under my direction." j

Mr. Bonner was the ablest student of the foot ;

of the horse and the greatest enthusiast on balancing !

through shoeing that this country has produced, and I

the hours that I spent with him in discussing this ,

subject and in following practical demonstrations i

were hours dedicated to wisdom. I was his companion in many long journeys, undertaken solely for the purpose of studying hoof bearings and their Influence on motion. The shelves of Mr. Bonner's library In the house on West 56th Street, New York, were filled with all the known writings on the anatomy of the horse and the treatment of feet, and every theory advanced was put to actual test In the blacksmith's shop. Although Mr. Bonner had great faith In the originality of David Roberge, I heard him say on more than one occasion that the " old man '' could not always be depended upon to wisely apply his own laws. " I always want him with me when I shoe Maud S. for a great performance, but not for $10,000 would I allow him to direct her shoeing In my absence.'' About the first thing that Mr. Bonner did after Maud S. had been turned over to him by Mr. Vanderbllt was to remove her shoes and change the bearing of her feet. When his critics heard of this, they predicted that he would ruin the mare, that he would rob her of her speed, but, under the shoeing of her new owner, she twice reduced her record, a thing that would have been Impossible had she remained as she was when delivered.

Right here I deem It appropriate to Introduce an extract from a paper read by Mr. Bonner at a meeting of the New York Farmers held at the Metropolitan Club, New York, on the 19th of February, 1895:

" Before the first veterinary college was established In England, besides the treatises of Bridges and Osmer, there were works published by Dr.

Bracken, Captain Burden, William Gibson, Solleysell, Markham, and James Clark, farrier to his Majesty for Scotland. But I shall not weary you with extracts from them. Since the college was started we have had works of more or less value on the foot from St. Bel, its first professor, from Coleman, who succeeded him, and from Bracy, Clark, Freeman, White, Youatt, Goodwin, Perclval, Fleming, Colonel Fitzwygram, of the King's Hussars, James Turner, and others too numerous to mention. Of these I consider Fitzwygram's ' Notes on Shoeing,' and Turner's treatise on ' Navicular Joint Lameness,' the most valuable. Colonel Fitzwygram^ devotes considerable space to the elementary principles of shoeing, but the leading feature of his book Is the part In which he advocates turning up the toe of the shoe out of the line of wear, giving it the appearance of a shoe that Is nearly worn out at the toe, which allows the foot to glide or pass gracefully over the toe as It leaves the ground. This shoe, I believe, will work well on nine horses out of ten, but especially on those with strong cup feet and contracted heels. He sums up the evils of the ordinary straight shoe as follows: a tendency to produce contracted heels, and shrivelling up of the frog from the absence of wear at the back part of the foot; stumbling and loss of speed from the reslstence of the toe against the ground, and undue strain on the flexor tendons whose office It Is to flex and raise the leg.