LIFE WITH THE TKOTTERS. 385 



not only owns trotters, but as an amateur driver of tlie 

 same ranks among the first in the land. 



Mr. Albert Post of Chicago had the love of the trotter 

 born in him, as he is a native of Orange County, the birth- 

 place of Dexter and George Wilkes, two horses whose 

 names will mark a mile-stone in the history of trotting no 

 matter how long the world bsts. It was on Mr. Post's 

 father's farm, that under the tuition of Mr. William Sar^-ent, 

 St. Julien learned his alphabet in the school of trotting. 

 Mr. Post uses his stable of trotters not only for road pur- 

 poses, but is willing at all times to have them appear in 

 public in actual contests, and thereby get a correct estimate 

 of their merits. 



I often hear gentlemen complain that it is impossible for 

 them to get a first-class road horse, and that they have all 

 sorts of misfortunes with them after they do secure one. I 

 think this is easil}^ accounted for from the following reasons: 

 In the first x^lace it requires a combination of qualities rarely 

 met with in any animal to make a i^erfect road horse. I find 

 it much easier to select and buy a first-class race-liorse than 

 a road horse which would please the ordinary road driver. 

 In getting a road horse a gentleman should know just 

 wdiat he wants to use him for. It will be impossible to find 

 one that will be j)erfect in three or four different posi- 

 tions, or in other words you can not expect to use your horse 

 in the ordinary family carriage five days in a week and then 

 have him able to go at a high rate of sj)eed the otlier tw^o. 

 The simi^le fact of a horse having a record of 2:20, got under 

 the management of an expert, drawing not over two hun- 

 dred pounds, having the benefits of all the mechanical in- 

 ventions known to man in the way of boots, toe- weights, 

 etc., w^ill not make him a first-class roadster. In i^icking 

 out a road horse, always be sure and buy one that is per- 

 fectly^ sound. Don't buy an unsound horse any sooner 

 than you would a second-hand wagon. Test the horse 

 thoi'oughly as to kindness and ability to draw^ weight at a 

 high rate of speed, and if you wish to buy him for use in 



