Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/59

TUEF 51 of Aylesbury and at St. Albans. The distance was commonly four miles as the crow flies. The men might get to the goal any way they could, provided their horses brought in their proper weight, and that they never went a hundred yards at one time along any road, lane, or highway, nor opened any gate or wicket. The courses were nearly straight, bat a rider might diverge within certain limits marked by flags. Few could see the steeple chase from end to end. At that time the vale of Aylesbury was chiefly rich pasture land. The sod was old, and very tough in winter and early spring, the season for the steeple chases. There were no stone walls, and very few post-and-rail fences. The fields were enclosed by ditches and double hedges, called bullfinches and ox fences, be- cause capable of confining oxen in their pasture. The hedges were chiefly composed of the haw- thorn, blackthorn, and crab apple, together with wild roses and a great variety of briers. "When in leaf such a fence could not be seen through, but in winter the young growth of the top, though wide, was neither very thick nor interlaced. No horse could go through such a fence without jumping more than breast high, and no horse that ever lived could clear the bullfinches by going clean over them. But good horses and resolute men could clear the old, stubborn part of the hedges, and go through the top-hamper bodily. The ditches were no impediment. The horse rising to the leap did so before he neared the ditch on the taking-off side, and if he got through the hedge he was pretty sure to clear the ditch on the far side. But the vale was intersected by wide and deep brooks. The natural brook flowing through a meadow and nearly full to its bare banks is much more formidable to the steeple chaser than the artificial brook with a fence on the taking-off side. Horses will jump a fence and brook readily enough, though they may know by experience that the water is beyond the fence; but many will refuse at naked water, especially when it glistens in the sunshine. The weights at Aylesbury, St. Albans, and other places were at first 168 Ibs. It was the custom to choose a stiff four miles for the chase, that is, a line in which the fences were difficult, and the brooks wide and deep. Han- dicapping was introduced, to stop the further winning of two famous horses, Lottery and Gaylad, who took all the best prizes for sev- eral years. It was begun at Newport-Pagnell, but Lottery won with 180 Ibs., and Gaylad was second. As soon as the handicap sys- tem was established, reports became rife about pullings. The steeple-chase course was most- ly out of sight of the stewards, and a rider could pull his horse without fear of being de- tected. This, in part, brought about the mod- ern system of round courses, over which the horses generally go twice and are in sight nearly all the way. So popular was steeple- chasing that those who could provide the land and construct the fences and stands were well repaid by fees and rentals when the spectators had a chance to see the chase. But the fences and brooks were artificial, and much less diffi- cult than those of the real cross-country lines. The consequence was that a slighter and lighter sort of horse was trained to the business. The most famous of the old steeple-chasers ranged from about three quarters or seven eightha blood to quite thoroughbred. A large number of steeple-chase courses now exist in England, but not one of the old straight lines across the country is used. The chief of all is the Grand National Liverpool steeple chase. The course is about four miles and a half. The fences are fair. Beecher's brook (so called from Capt. Beecher, a noted steeple-chase rider) is 18 ft. wide, with a fence on the taking-off side from 3 ft. 8 in. to 4 ft. high. Most of the artificial water jumps in England are from 14 to 18 ft. wide. The weights range from about 175 Ibs. to 140 Ibs., and neither the high weights nor the low weights often win. The good steeple- chaser always takes his jumps in stride, and rushes at them rather than pauses. Chandler jumped 39 ft. over water, and 34 ft. has been cleared over hurdles. Steeple-chasing is very popular in Ireland, and the Irish horses have a cat-like aptitude for jumping. There were in England and Ireland, in the season commen- cing late in the autumn of 1874 and ending in the early summer of 1875, about 400 steeple chases, exclusive of those for only trifling stakes. During the same time the hurdle races were more numerous. In these the race is run over the flat course, but with hurdles about 4 ft. 8 in. high, placed an eighth of a mile apart. The thoroughbred steeple-chaser is entered at hurdles first, and if he turns out to be a good, bold jumper, is practised at hedges, rails, &c., and last of all at water jumps. The steeple chases in this country are too confined and twist about too much to give either horses or riders a good chance. The jimips, such as they are, come too frequently. Half the num- ber would be better. Trotting. This is almost wholly confined to the United States and Can- ada. It consists of races in which the horses are required to trot, and if they break into a gallop the riders or drivers are command- ed by the rules to pull them to a trot as soon as possible. Yet considerable running is done sometimes. Nowhere else has the trot- ting horse attained anything like the speed which has been displayed in America. No- thing has been systematically done for the trot- ter in Europe, except in Russia, where Count Orloff established a breed which still has fine action and a good deal of speed. The old road- ster could not go faster than a rate of about 12 m. an hour, but he could go a long way. The modern, high-bred and highly educated trotter is capable of going a mile at the rate of 25 m. an hour, and better. The great factor in the improvement of the trotter has been the trot- ting turf. The trotter, like the thoroughbred of early times, was a cross-bred horse, and his