252 THE HORSE IN AMERICA 



lack of wisdom in seeking it in such an ignoble 

 fashion. 



The men who train trotting horses in America 

 are the most wonderful drivers the worid has ever 

 seen. They seem to get more speed out of a horse 

 at less expense than any others. I have often 

 thought that the lowering of trotting records in 

 America had been assisted in a great degree by 

 the increasing skill of American drivers. How 

 many seconds this skill may be responsible for I 

 have no idea — maybe one second, maybe five or 

 ten. But their patience in developing the horse 

 and their skill in driving is responsible for a good 

 deal. I have often watched the trotters on the 

 Speedway in New York, and many a time I have 

 seen contests which I was sure would have been 

 reversed had the drivers been changed. No doubt 

 some men have an aptness for driving, just as 

 others have an aptness for riding; but driving is 

 also an art which can be acquired only by in- 

 struction, imitation, and practice together with a 

 knowledge of and consideration for horses. There 

 are so many things that a man must know to 

 make him a good driver that it would take a book 



