Editorial— THE EDUCATION OF TWO-YEAR-OLDS

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1931, Page 4

Editorial — THE EDUCATION OF TWO-YEAR-OLDS

That young horses may be “made” or marred by the treatment .’y which they receive in their early racing career is evident to the most casual observer of the game, and the lack of intelligent, sympathetic and patient riders is more noticeable every, day, • The two-year-old is a sensitive, nervous animal, imbued with a natural fear of Man—of something which it cannot understand—and despite the gentle handling of pre-racecourse period, trust and confidence are swept aside .in a flash under harsh, treatment often meted but to it the first time that the. colours are up. . Some young horses are naturally phlegmatic; They take the racecourse crowd and the excitement of the'race without any outinward show of feeling. But others, in fact the majority, .are made of different stuff, and need very careful handling. No slatheri'4-.' and whack” methods for them, and this is the point which not only but also many unthinking horseowners fail to realise. . In every age "there have been riders, noted for their, success with “preen” horses. Firm, yet’ kind, and never cruel or vindictive; not even under most trying circumstances. And the records ©f two-year-old races have told us who those desirable horsemen were They have possibly failed to achieve success when success >2 was most desired, but the future has' generally seen full rcompense made for early failure. On the other hand, how many two-year-olds which have been flogged to victory in the spring, have shown indifferent form in a very short time, and culminated in sour, unre- /-*•- liable “brutes.”. ■ . , During the holiday rush of race meetings horseowners have "■•'been at their wits’ ends to find suitable (or any) riders to pilot, their horses, and the position is becoming more acute each season as the supply of first-class horsemen declines.’ And the rider of ; the holiday season, fully aware that he will not be the elect of tot morrow, takes little heed of the warning, “If the horse is beaten, Z 7. don’t knock him about.” Rather, he delights m getting the. last ■ - ounce out of the astonished youngster, and lets the future go hang. ; At Ellerslie the otherlday someiPeople were astomshed to see ' the two-year-old Oratorian carrying 91b. over-weight,-but his owner preferred to put Roy Reed up (at 8.3) in the Midsummer Handicap Si- to giving the mount to a less experienced.rider at7.B. . And Orator-•-c ian half-brother to Concentrate, Oratrix. and other noted horses, actually led the field into the straight, and finished fourth. , That extra 91b. may have made a slight difference’ in Oratoi-ian’s Tunning, but one tliing is certain; the ypungster was;, not given a.thrashing; he gained experience, and he will be all the better for this most important portion of his education'. ' At Awapuni during the same period the two-year-old St. Roger was weighted at 7.5 in the Nursery Handicap, but, as he was a "trifle flighty, Mr. H. Murphy elected to give the mount to Bert. ; Morris, who rode 8.0. St. Roger behaved himself admirably, and that the lesson bore fruit was evident when he/ran two close seconds at Wairarapa in the following week, on the second occasion only suffering defeat by a narrow' margin. What the result might have been had the youngster been ridden right out at Awapuni can well be imagined. Neither of the horseowners concerned has much io learn in the racing game, and it is to their credit that they pre- ’ fer to have their young horses properly schooled in public before . iftsking them to stand the full pressure of race winning. The race.j. horse-is naturally game and honest,' but harsh treatment may sour U him, and no true lover of horseflesh desires the extinction of all y-that is good in “the friend of man” nor the introduction of ways '' jthat are vicious. ( . Understanding between man and horse is the chief factor of •Success in race riding when two-year-olds are concerned, and it is. a I ’thousand pities that the rising generation of jockeys does not cultiyate this trait. The real horseman is “born,” not “made,” they » feay, and while we still have many riders who score their full share T bf wins, it is regrettable that there is little of patience or upder.Upstanding' in their methods. ’ '’ ’ p “Paritutu.’’