TEMPER IN HORSES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2671, 24 May 1905, Page 50

TEMPER IN HORSES.

In the course of a most interesting article on alleged ravages, "Milroy," of the Sydney Mail, says: — When Duggan got Orzil he was a worse subject than Positano, but a good whip and a firm rider had the effect^ of altering his (the horse's) ideas. Despite^ the evil reputation he won in England, ! Orzil became a very steady horse when in work here, and therei is no quieter stallion anywhere than he is now, while his stock are notable for their evon temper, honesty, and eouragei All that was needed to effectually condemn Orzil for ever in this couo- j try was for one or two of his first batch to start monkey tricks on a racecourse ; then we would have hearcJ the captious critics at their best. When a critic condemns the children for the sins of the father he thoroughly exemplifies his own ignorance of the thoroughbred and the history of horse racing and breeding of the racehorse. In English history there arei hundreds of illustrations to prove the fallacy of the hereditary temper theory, and in this country instances are also plentiful enough. Take the case of that noble savage The Marquis, who was banished from the Old Country for his maniacal manners. Concerning hi 3 progeny I cannot say much, for I can only recall Chesterfield, His Lordship, Rose d' Amour, and Grand Prix, who, as far as I saw them in a few races at JElandwick, were free from the temper taint, and as courageous as needs be ; but I have known many grandsons of the Marquis, and cannot remember an ill-mannered one among them ; in fact, Lamond, Accident, Vengeance, Newhaven, Wild Rose, Churchill, and Matador, who were all by Newminster — the only stallion of any note The Marquis left behind — were all very notable examples of patience and good racecourse manners. Perhaps there are some racing men left whose memories can still recall Eli, a rare-built son of "Yelverton and Valetta. Hhiiing his short turf career he was an equine devil incarnate, a buck-jumper and a. eavage — in fact, he broke himself down badly with his mad' buck-jumping antics, yet his stock were as mild as pet sheep, and slavishly game eaddle horses to boot. Sir Hercules, though a. high-spirited, aristocratic hor9e, who was never guilty of a mean action, begat an army of prize buck-jumpers, which, howaver, if handled properly when they quitted the bucking business always turned out veil, but in bad hands were quite easy to spoil. .When garrulous turf men gabble about the disadvantage of breeding from a bad-tem-pered horse, they cannot be aware of the fact, that Stockweli, the greatest sire of racehorses and stallions that ever lived, was a deep-dyed savage, and Toxophilite, the eire of the exemplary Musket, was a rogue, a our, a roarer, and a savage; yet the fyluskets were the quietest, the gamest, and the soundest of horses, while from his (Toxophilite' s) daughters — Strayshot, Quiver, and Mosquito— descend horses noted for their unswerving courage, soundness, and! dooility, among them being Grafton, Dreadnought, La Heche, Memoir, and Chevening. St. Simon, it is said, is a horse free from all the vice horseflesh is heir to, yet it irsed t° be common to read of his stock being- denounced aa hysterical, overstrung, and generally unreliable. That, of course, was before is got Persimmon;, and

when h»3 was dubbed a "'filly getter." Ha is a "colt getter" now, and fills the turf calendar with wnners; end if his progenyare- as bad as stated, what must the other breeds bo like? Horses are what they are made. Not one horse in ten thousand is a born savage, but any may become co by timid or ignorant management. In respect to horse management, is it not noticeable that some trainers generally have an unmanageable horse or two alway6 on hand, while others are noticeable for the exemplary behaviour of their horses on the training track or racacourse?