NINETEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART II 4S 



these deductions, which are based on averages, it is readily seen 

 that racing horses is not a very profitable business; in fact the 

 owners are putting up about half as much as the fairs for the 

 privilege of racing their horses. 



The question is, how long will the owners continue on this basis 

 and how long will the love of the race horse and the sport keep 

 a sufficient number of horsemen interested in the game to furnish 

 horses for the meetings. 



Judging from the records of the Iowa Stallion Registration 

 Division the interest in the Standardbred horse, from the breed- 

 er's standpoint, is very much on the wane. In 1912 the depart- 

 ment enrolled 689 Standardbred stallions and in 1918 this num- 

 ber was reduced to 98. In 1913 the horsemen made 207 nomina- 

 tions in the No. 1 Iowa State Fair Futurity; in 1918 they made 

 fi5 nominations in the No. 6 Futurity. 



The cost of music and attractions for the eighty-nine county 

 and district fairs this year was $214,838, or an average of $2,414 

 each. It would be a difficult matter to make a great many people, 

 especially anyone who is at all interested in horses, believe that 

 the races are not at least half the amusement program at most 

 of the county fairs, and yet, the other attractions cost almost 

 double the amount. In my judgment the time is not far distant 

 when the fairs that have races as a part of the program will be 

 obliged to pay just what the races are worth as an attraction, 

 I believe, however, that the fair managers are farsighted enough 

 to cope with the situation and will not let the matter drift along 

 until the whole industry is absorbed by the attraction people and 

 the fairs will then be obliged to book horses through some booking 

 agent, the same as we do other attractions, and make hippodrome 

 affairs of the speed events. 



