INSTINCT OF A RACE-HORSE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VI, Issue 306, 28 February 1879, Page 16

INSTINCT OF A RACE-HORSE.

Ihe Baltimore American tells the following :— "The following is one of the most remarkable instances on record of the instinct of a horse. Immediately after the last day's meeting of the Maryland Jockey Club, at Pimlico, this spring, the broken-down racers Business", Artist, George West, and two or three others, were put up at auction by their owner, Mr. Joseph Donahue. As ia generally the case however, no one wanted to purchase them, and, with the exception of Jim Crowy none were sold. They were taken back to the stables, and, on the following day, George West, the renowned steeple chaser, was sent to the farm of Captain Powers, in Baltimore County, and turned out on pasture with a number of common labouring horses. Strange to say, however, the old racer refuses to associate with the common horses, and will not remain in the part of the field with them, except at certain hours. Every morning and evening during a racer's training he is walked slowly around in a small circle for an hour or so. 1 hese walking circles can be found near the stables at every track and they are usually about one hundred feet in diameter. On the first morning after old George was turned out of the stable at Captain Powers farm, he waited around the stable doors for some time, and neighed as if impatient. The old horse spent the entire first day walking up and down in front of the stables. On the following morning be was turned out again, and after standing around the stable for some time, he walked off to a distant corner of the field, where he proceeded to walk around in a circle of about fifty or sixty yards. The walk was kept up for an hour as steadily as he had ever done in his palmiest days. After exercising about an hour, the old horse left his walking ground, and capered around the field as if delighted. In the evening it was noticed that shortly before sundown he threw up his head, and, after neighing once or twice, ran around the entire field seven or eight times. He then suddenly stopped, and went to the small circle used by him in the morning.and walked again regularly for about half an hour. At the expiration of that time he went to the stable. These exercises of walking and galloping have been repeated legularly ever since, and Captain Powers states that the time Ueorge begins exercising each day does not vary over half an hour. He was kept in the stable two days, without getting out, but when turned out on the third day, he at once began his walk and kept it up as usual. The other horses in the field have followed hie example, and now every morning and evening seven common horses may be seen moving regularly around the small circle like a stung of racers, headed by George West. The sight is a novel one, and hundreds of people have visited the farm during the past week to witness it. Beyond the walking, George does not mix with the common herd at all, and takes his gallops all alone. George West is now over six years old, but there is probably no steeple- chaser now living m this country that iti his fourth and fifth years won as many gallant races as he has done.' 1