LIFE WITn THE TEOTTEES. 31 3"' 



about one-lialf the usual quantity, and had Dr. Fair come 

 out and look her over for me; he gave her a couple of light 

 doses of physic and a light blister for her feet, which treat- 

 ment we followed and after the effects of the blister had 

 worn off we poulticed her feet faithfully until the training 

 season opened. We then concluded to use tips on her, and 

 for the first two months of her training she was shod in 

 that way, and I think it was a very good thing for her. I 

 hardly believe that a horse can be shod in tips and trained 

 and trotted over our hard tracks successfully. At this- 

 particular time I was more anxious to improve the condi- 

 tion of Sparkle' s feet than I was to train her. Mr. Gordon 

 has on his place a very fine working track, and on this I 

 gave the mare most of her preparatory work. When I 

 took her to the mile track, I had the track especially pre- 

 pared so as not to hurt her feet. All this time I kept up a 

 constant course of treatment for her feet in the way of 

 poulticing and soaking in warm water. I have heard a 

 great many people say that is a very wrong idea, constant 

 poulticing and soaking, but I notice that physicians fre- 

 quently cut off a man' s arm to save his life. 



I gave Sparkle a great deal of moderate work and 

 occasionally brushed her through the stretch. I was sure 

 any horse that had trotted as well as I had seen her in the 

 condition her feet were in would certainly go much better 

 with her feet in an improved state. In working Sparkle I 

 gave her most of her exercise to a road-cart, as I did not want- 

 the weight on her back, prefering to have her draw it. In 

 this case I was very fortunate in having a good boy to take 

 care of her. His turf name was, I believe, ' ' Gladiator Bill. ' ' 

 I don't see why they called him this, as he was one of the 

 most harmless and peaceable men I ever met, never spoke un- 

 less he was spoken to, and his attention to Mambrino Sparkle 

 had a great deal to do with her subsequent success. Before 

 the grand circuit opened I took Sparkle to Pittsburgh and 

 trotted her in a race in the 2:19 class, where she was a favorite 

 over the field in the betting, but had to content herself with. 



