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Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13367, 17 August 1907, Page 4 (Supplement)

A visitor to Mr Winan's famous st-abfcs at Snrrender Park describes h:> Russian troika (pronounced " trika") —a fourwheeled vehicle drawn by a fast trotting horse in the shaft» and two galloping horses one on .each side "of the shafts. Between the two pole? is an ardi, such as is familiar to all who have seen either th-r: real thing or pictures of a Russian vehicle or sleigh. Th? coupling of the gallopers is the peculiar tiling about the turnout. For instance, there is no near -ide rein from the off galloper to the clrivfr; it is simply astrap from the bit to the trotter's galloper. Thus the driver lias only a, single rein to the off galloper—the rein that is carried on the off side. "1 he reverse of this arrangement is in force on th;- r.'.ar rdde. The practical lesult is to give greater freedom to the gallopers. Considering, therefore, that tha driver has so little command, the power of control Ik- -i-xirche?. in remarkable. I saw the troika and its team sent at full spe?d along the private track, tire driver in the quain dress of the Isvoschick. as ire is called in Russia, and the effect of looking at th • mixed action —the trotting of the magnificent horse in the shaftc and' the galloping of tiie outer horses—was quite a novelty, and the pace- they got up will make, them popular at Olympia. In the shafts w;i= tho trotter Captain Fuller-ton, whose record is 2min. 20sec, and the American bred Independence and thy English bred Kismet were the gallopers. The latter hav; an interesting hiotory. He was in twelvo engagement.; during the South African war. and was at the relief of Ladysmith and tie capture of Cronje. He is a smart littlo horse, tough and wiry. What was very noticeable in th? team wsr: the steady way Captain Fuller ton trotted with the other horses galloping beside him.