Danger! Danger!
Life in the pits could be dangerous. All the hazards miners faced (roof collapses, floods, and so on) could also harm the animals. A Canadian miner named Joe Guidolin remembered saving a group of ponies during a 1948 flood. The snow aboveground had melted and seeped into the mine. By the time Guidolin got to the pony stable, the water was up to the animals’ bellies. He organized the ponies into a single-file line, tied the tail of one to the bridle of another, and urged them on to safety. He said, “I knew for sure that they were afraid. I wished that I could have explained it all to them, but even still, they trusted me enough to follow me out.” All 16 of the mine’s ponies survived.
End of an Era
In the 1950s, as increased mechanization became essential to stay competitive, mines started phasing out the ponies. In the United States, the last coal pony emerged from Iowa’s New Gladstone Mine in 1971. Progress was slower in Britain and Canada. There, the last ponies didn’t leave until the early 1990s.
Life after the mines was usually good for the ponies. Because they were so well trained, they were in high demand as riding and carriage ponies. And most, like Sparky, enjoyed many years of relative leisure after they retired.
The Shoe
The oldest man to win the Kentucky Derby, Bill Shoemaker was also one of the smallest. Check out the life and times of America’s most famous jockey.
During his 41-year career, jockey Bill “the Shoe” Shoemaker won five Belmont Stakes, four Kentucky Derbys, and two Preakness Stakes. He rode in more than 40,000 races and won 8,833 of them, a record that stood until 1999 when Laffit Pincay Jr. broke it. In all, Shoemaker won more than $120 million in purses and had a reputation for being gifted with horses—his firm but gentle hand was just what the animals needed to be coaxed first over the finish line again and again.
Smaller Than a Breadbox
Shoemaker was born in Texas in 1931. He weighed only 1 pound, 13 ounces, at birth and no one expected him to make it to the next morning. (One legend says that his grandmother put in him a box on the stove to keep him warm.) He survived, though, and grew into a healthy but small child. After his parents divorced, Shoemaker moved with his father to California, and it was there that he fell in love with horses.
As a teenager, Shoemaker got a job as a stable and exercise boy and then quickly moved up to jockey. He was a perfect size: under 100 pounds and just 4'11". His first professional race was in March 1949, and his first win came a month later. Of that race, Shoemaker said, “I almost went into shock. She was a chestnut filly, and you bet I remember her. I think I got about 10 dollars.”
Derby Darling
Shoemaker’s first Kentucky Derby win came in 1955 on a chestnut stallion named Swaps. But it was his 1957 Derby loss that got most people talking. That year, Shoemaker mistook a furlong post for the finish and slowed his horse (Gallant Man) just a few feet too soon. He lost when Iron Liege raced up from behind and beat them by a nose. It was an embarrassment for sure, but also a mistake other jockeys understood. Said Eddie Arcaro, “After the race, they did what they should have done 50 years before. They put lines on the fence to show the finish.” And five weeks later, Shoemaker and Gallant Man won the Belmont by eight lengths.
Shoemaker won the Derby again in 1959 and 1965, but then seemed to slow down. He broke his leg in 1968 when a horse threw him, and a year later, he was injured again when a horse trampled him in the paddock. During the 1970s, Shoemaker seemed fated for retirement. But then, in 1986, along came a horse named Ferdinand.
Ferdinand was a long shot (17–1 odds at the 1986 Kentucky Derby), but Shoemaker thought they had a chance. Maybe it was his skill with horses that gave him that confidence. According to Jay Hovdey, one of Shoemaker’s friends,
There’s a lot for the horse to be worried about [during a race] . . . What Shoemaker did, he had an innate light touch, a very sensitive touch with his hands. The hands were on the reins, the reins were on the bit, and the bit was in the horse’s mouth. That’s the way Shoemaker communicated in a very gentle, very insinuating kind of command that the horse needed and responded to.
It worked. Ferdinand lagged behind out of the starting gate, but going into the backstretch, he started to advance. Shoemaker urged the horse on and, at the top of the stretch, found a hole. They navigated through traffic and took the lead . . . eventually winning by 2½ lengths. It was a victory that capped Shoemaker’s already remarkable career. He was 54, the oldest jockey to win the Derby. (Tragically, Ferdinand’s later life became a catalyst for the racehorse-rescue movement. For more on that story, turn to page 123.)
Out to Pasture
Shoemaker retired from racing in 1990 and began training horses. Ultimately, he trained 157 winners. He died in 2003, but his legacy as a racing hero was firmly established. He was also humble. Of his skills on the racetrack, Shoemaker once said, “I never felt I was gifted. I got the right horses at the right time, and that made me good.”
Hold Your Horses
Who would have thought those plastic horse toys you played with as a kid would become collectibles and even inspire their own counterculture?
Hey! That’s Not a Toy!
Breyer horses started out as decorations, not toys. In 1950, a Chicago-based manufacturer called the Breyer Molding Company began making plastic horses and animals to decorate clocks and lamps. Its first model—the #57 Western Horse—went to the F. W. Woolworth Company as part of a mantel clock. But soon, the company was flooded with letters about children removing the horse models to play with them and parents wondering where they could buy just the horses. By the late 1950s, the company had changed its name (to Breyer Animal Creations) and was making toys instead of decorations. Since then, Breyer has produced hundreds of molds, representing thousands of different horse breeds and colors.
Each Breyer horse begins its life as a hand-sculpted clay model that is then transformed into a steel mold. Workers inject hot, sturdy plastic into the mold, and when it cools, the basic horse body is ready. In the old days, artists hand-painted the models—from the eyes to the hooves—but today, workers use stencils to airbrush on the horses’ features. By the time a Breyer horse arrives in a child’s hands, about 20 different artisans have played a part in its creation.
Breyer makes nearly 5 million plastic horses every year. And the company has branched out into porcelain horses, plush horses, tack, and other barnyard animals.
Where’s the Auction?
Of course, a product that’s so unique and of such high quality attracts more than just children. Collectors of all ages flock to stores to buy up new Breyer horses. These sell for anywhere from $5 to more than $100. But it’s the old models that people really want.
Vintage Breyers are fairly easy to find . . . thanks to online auctions, antique malls, swap meets, and flea markets. And Web sites like eBay are a plastic equine goldmine, where the horses sometimes go for as much as $2,000.
There’s the (Paint) Rub
The condition and age of a model can determine its value. According to collector Melissa Gilkey Mince, “If the horse is a common one, paint rubs are the death-knell of value. Rubs are tolerated in extremely rare models; however, the value plummets sharply because collectors will always be looking for an ‘upgrade’ and want to be sure they can sell the damaged horse for the same price they paid.”
Another way to find out a model’s age is to check its hind legs. Breyers made after 1960 have a company logo stamped on their inner hind leg. These marks have changed at least 20 times over the years, and based on the logo’s design, collectors can tell when a model was first sold. (It’s also a good way to pick out fakes.)
Magazines and Merriment
Of course, all these collectors need a place to swap stories. So every two months, Breyer puts out a magazine called Just About Horses, dedicated to its model horses. The magazine includes stats on upcoming molds, color schemes for vintage models, articles about collecting, and a “blast to the past” feature about
a select model each issue.
When the collectors are finished reading, they head out to their very own convention: BreyerFest. For one weekend in late July, thousands of Breyer fanatics converge on the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington for a company-hosted gathering. During BreyerFest, collectors can meet the artists behind the equines, watch live horse shows, and see the real horses who inspire Breyer molds. For many Breyer collectors, this is one event neither they nor their model horses—there are also shows and swaps—like to miss.
The horse is New Jersey’s state animal.
The Thunder Down Under
Australia’s Melbourne Cup is considered to be the most prestigious two-mile handicap race in the world and the second-richest turf race. It’s also “the race that stops a nation,” making Melbourne the only city that has a public holiday for a horse race.
History: In the 1861 inaugural race, 17 horses competed for approximately £170 ($325) cash . . . and a gold watch.
Racetrack: Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia
Date: First Tuesday in November. It was officially made a public holiday in 1877.
Course: 3,200 meters (1.988 miles) as of 1972. Originally the track was more than two miles long, but that changed when Australia adopted the metric system.
Field: Three-year-olds and up; as many as 24 horses
Purse: Approximately $4.87 million (U.S.), sponsored through 2010 by Emirates Airlines (with a bonus of $467,000 if the winner can also win Ireland’s St. Leger race in same year). The trophy awarded since 1919 is a three-handled gold cup worth about $80,000. Made of 34 pieces of metal, it contains 3.6 pounds of 18-carat gold hand-beaten for more than 200 hours.
Notable Jockeys
•The first Aboriginal jockey to win the race was J. Cutts, who took the title at the first and second Melbourne Cups riding Archer in 1861 and 1862.
•The second Aboriginal jockey to win was 13-year-old Peter St. Albans, riding Briseis in 1876.
•Most wins by a jockey: Bobby Lewis and Harry White are tied with four each.
Traditions
•About 80 percent of Australia’s population wagers on the race. Sweepstakes are held throughout the country, with ticketholders randomly matched with horses for a chance to win a prize. Thus, almost everyone has a stake in the race.
•“Fashions on the Field” is a major focus of racing day, with prizes awarded for the best-dressed male and female racegoers. In 1965, the miniskirt received worldwide publicity when model Jean Shrimpton wore one on Derby Day during Melbourne Cup week.
Milestones
1876: The three-year-old filly Briseis set a record that still stands: she won three prestigious Australian races—the Victorian Derby, the Melbourne Cup, and the VRC Oaks (now the Crown Oaks) in the span of six days.
1910: Comedy King became the first foreign-bred horse to win the cup.
1990: The present record holder is Kingston Rule, with a time of 3 minutes, 6.3 seconds.
2003: A record attendance of 122,736 racegoers.
2005: Makybe Diva became the only horse to win the race three times—from 2003 to 2005.
Did You Know?
•The first cup winner, Archer, was rumored to have walked 500 miles from Nowra, New South Wales, to Melbourne in order to compete. An Australian movie about him called Archer’s Adventure features an 18-year-old Nicole Kidman.
•Phar Lap (beloved in Australia, but actually from New Zealand), the most famous horse in the world of his day, won the 1930 Melbourne Cup. He also competed in 1929 and 1931, when he came in third and eighth, respectively. Phar Lap died in 1932, supposedly poisoned by gangsters.
•A new trophy is created each year and becomes the property of the winning owner. (A second cup is on hand in the event of a tie.)
•Flemington Racecourse grows more than 12,000 rosebushes in 200 varieties within its large expanse. Each major race day at Flemington has an official flower—for the Melbourne Cup, it’s the yellow rose.
A Horse, Of Course
Five facts about the famous Mr. Ed.
1. The golden palomino’s real name was Bamboo Harvester, and he was born in California in 1949.
2. Every day, Mr. Ed ate 20 pounds of hay and drank a gallon of sweet tea.
3. The horse didn’t obey anyone except his trainer, Les Hilton, so Hilton had to be on the set at all times, telling Ed where to look, how to move, and what do to. On the show (which ran from 1961 to 1966), even when it seems like Ed is involved in what’s going on, he’s really just looking at Hilton off-screen.
4. Ed did most of his own stunts. He was trained to do everything from opening the barn door to answering the telephone.
5. The horse couldn’t talk, however. His trainer used a nylon bit to get him to move his lips. (The rumor that Hilton gave the horse peanut butter to make him lick his lips isn’t true.)
Good Breeding
How well are you clued in to horse breeds? Four of them are waiting to be revealed in this crossword. Give yourself free rein to solve. (Answers on page 226.)
ACROSS
1. Bogus
5. La ___ (Milan opera house)
10. Groups for soccer moms et al.
14. It springs eternal
15. Like every crossword answer
16. Troop group
17. Scalawags
18. German breed often seen in the Olympics
20. Slangy good-bye
22. ___ pentameter
23. Nigeria’s capital
24. Fireplace guards
25. String in a string quartet
27. Gas and oil, e.g.
28. Figure skater Midori
29. Layout
31. Like maple trees
35. Skip a turn
37. “Air Music” composer Ned ___
39. Classic soft drink
40. Easily split rock
42. Matadors’ foes
44. Shoot the breeze
45. More peculiar
47. Flinches, e.g.
49. Window over a door
52. Baker’s dozen?
53. Soprano Farrell
54. They gambol a lot
57. Old Spanish breed, the mount of kings
59. Song in an opera house
60. A thou
61. Uptight
62. “Who killed ___ Robin?”
63. Steak order
64. Guru followers
65. Leg joint
DOWN
1. The Flying Dutchman, e.g.
2. Last word in The Wizard of Oz
3. Nez Perce horse
4. Peyote source
5. Big beer glass
6. Santa follower
7. Mother's sister, to her niece
8. Sign of summer
9. Consultant's offering
10. It's good on pasta
11. Survivor group
12. At full speed
13. Lip-___ (fake singing)
19. Some peers
21. Shield: Var.
24. Excellent
25. CEOs and such
26. Slanted: Abbr.
27. Uproar
30. Carved pole
32. French draft horse
33. It's cool
34. Chihuahua sounds
36. Alley Oop's time
38. Glacial drifts
41. Detroit dud
43. Sinks below the horizon
46. Dunkable treats
48. Antiaircraft fire
49. "Coffee, ___ me?"
50. Actress Lisa (Melrose Place)
51. Tree of the birch family
52. Cheeky
54. Stool pigeon
55. Paddy crop
56. Japanese rice wine
58. Number after cinque
Tackle This!
We bet you know the difference between a crupper and a snaffle. But can you find those bits of tack and 26 others in the puzzle?
BIT
BLINDERS
BRIDLE
; CANTLE
CAPARISON
CHAMBON
CROP
CROWNPIECE
CRUPPER
DRING
GIRTH
HACKAMORE
HALTER
HARNESS
LIP STRAP
MARTINGALE
NOSEBAND
POMMEL
REINS
SADDLE
SALLONG
SHANK HOBBLE
SNAFFLE
SPURS
STIRRUP
SURCINGLE
TRACES
TREE
For answers, turn to page 226.
Answers
The Horse Lingo IQ Test, page 34
1. Spook
2. Ten
3. Calves
4. Feet
5. Won his first race
6. Black
7. The mare. Only female horses run in distaff races.
8. His weight
9. They buck.
10. His mane has been clipped short.
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Horse Lover's Companion Page 15