by Bob Fields
ALBERT THE HORSE SWIPER
Bob Fields
Copyright 2014 Bob Fields
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Table of Contents
Chapter One - He could train anything with hair on it
Chapter Two - Gaited Horses
Chapter Three - The Horse Swiper
Chapter Four - Houlton
Chapter Five - Bangor Trotting Park
About the Author
ALBERT THE HORSE SWIPER
Chapter One
He could train anything with hair on it
Albert Puller died when he was ninety five. During his visit to this third rock from the sun he taught Woodrow Wilson’s daughter to ride a horse, rode a seventeen hand gelding over a 1920 sedan to inaugurate the horse coliseum at the NY State Fair grounds, worked the harness tracks in Saratoga Springs and Rutland Vermont, and worked with the horse who challenged the great John Braden in a match race at the trotting park in Bangor, Maine.
We call them race tracks now, but since the nineteen seventies they’ve been called Racino’s; a combination race track and casino. But from the eighteen hundreds to the early sixties in Maine, they were called Trotting Parks. There were a bunch of them. Many towns had more than one, Presque Isle, for instance, had three, as did Houlton.
It might be said that if thoroughbred racing is the “Sport of Kings,” Harness racing” is the sport of the common man.
I interviewed Albert in 1982 at the request of the editor of the Horseman’s Yankee Peddler. I learned, during the interview, although he trained horses for the enjoyment of the common man, he was far from “common.” He told me he could train anything with hair on it.”
He was black as a chunk of wet coal; with a smile so broar it made me wonder if he had extra teeth. At five feet eight or so, he was a small manl, but when he spoke he seemed to be taller. Exuberance in his voice gave it authority, and made him seem taller than anyone in the room. He had the same effect on horses; when he spoke they sensed his authority and responded as he wished. There is a movie, or maybe a book, about the Horse Whisperer; Albert didn’t have to whisper. He spoke and they responded.
His introduction to training saddle horses started when he was hired by the man who owned Daws Drug Stores. Mr. Daws was fascinated with the beauty and grace of the three and five- gaited American Saddle Bred horse. He was captivated by the horse’s sense of presence and style, and their spirited, yet gentle temperament
Albert quickly became recognized as one of the finest trainers of horses shown in both three-gaited and five-gaited classes. The former are the three common gaits in most breeds, the walk, trot and canter. The latter includes the three regular gaits, plus two four-beat ambling gaits known as the slow gait and the rack. The rack has speed and action, and must appear unrestrained. They are exciting horses to watch in a show ring. Especially the five gaited horses when they are asked by the judge to “rack on.” At this gait they are required to accelerate the rack without breaking stride.
Chapter Two
Gaited Horses
I interviewed Albert at the Williams family farm in Marcy, New York. A farm owned and operated by Bob Williams and his wife Eleanor. Eleanor Williams, the matriarch of the family had a three gaited colt named Southern Red.
I have to give you non-horse folks some background here. Most horses trained for the show ring begin their early training in a round pen, maybe forty feet wide. The horse has a bridle and a saddle, and from the bridle the trainer hooks a long line called a longe line.
For a young or green (inexperienced) horse, longeing is used to teach a horse to respond to voice commands and the trainer's body language. The purpose is to accustom them to the feel of a saddle and bridle, and to begin their introduction to the feel of reins and bit pressure. In many training stables, a horse is first introduced on the longe to nearly everything it is going to be asked to do under saddle, including movement at all gaits, respond to hand and voice commands ;and remain calm in unusual or stressful situations.
On the day I arrived at the Williams farm, Albert was working a three- gaited horse in the round pen. Rather than a longe line, Albert had two ropes in one hand as he soothed the colt with the other. He spoke to the colt as a mother would speak to a stressed child.
“Easy, big guy,” he said, gently rubbing the extended neck of the horse. “Ol Albert just be here to teach you some manners, ain’t gonna hurt you none. Gonna make you a better horse. You and me gonna use these here lines to teach you how to walk and trot and canter like the champion you were bred to be. Your daddy was a champion. We gonna make you as good as your daddy. That’s what Ol Albert does.”
Albert kneeled down on the side of the horse with a line held by his teeth attached to the colts bridle. With one hand he rubbed the left front leg and with the other attached a loop around the left hoof of the colt.
A small crowd of riders gathered on the edge of the round pen and watched as Albert quietly moved around the colt attaching a loop of line to each front hoof. They were seeing a trainer like no other trainer doing what no other trainer could do. I know it’s a lousy word, but they were mesmerized.
When the lines were hooked to the hooves, Albert walked in front of the horse and stood, looking the horse in the eye. Then he sat down, in front of the horse, and started fingering the lines, putting a little pressure on the lines humming the tune to "Camptown Races," Or my “Old Kentucky Home”. Whatever it was it worked. The horse snickered. He owned the horse. They were in love.
Albert sat up, worked his way to the center of the pen until he had a taut line on each hoof. He then backed off and gave a command “walk”. It took a little tugging but the colt walked. If the horse started to move faster he would tug on the lines to slow it. He had a line in each hand and somehow, I don’t know how, he used the lines to control the speed and extension of each hoof. He talked softly to the horse as the horse responded to the signal coming from Albert through the lines.
The crowd of riders leaning on the fence watched silently, almost reverently─ as Albert managed the movement of the colt with the ease of a man driving a golf cart in circles. Within an hour Albert had the horse walking, stopping, and walking again with an even four beat pace.
The colt was walking like a show horse.
After an hour or so, Albert told one of the Williams boys, Mike, I think, to rub the horse down, and put him up for the day.
I needed to stop my gawking and get back to the interview.