Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1921-01-26 | Page 8 | Pacers Attract Keen Interest

FACERS ATTRflGT KEEN INTEREST An eflort is about to Le made to ascertain more authentic Information on the origin of the pacing home. Several bodies of horse fanciers, among them the American Trotting ; association, are nov.r communicating with some veterans in 'he game. .., Ing d;ra and specific Information for ufo In an authoritative history of tie? side-wheel- rs It Is known that th"re were many pacing hordes in this country prior' to the Revolution. They were not 1 raced, but their nppnar-.-nee on .he hlghWOy caused the lawmakers of Maryland nnd Pennsylvania to enact I laws to control their speed. Mnry-1 Mnry-1 land took such legislative action In 1748, while Pennsylvania followed 1 about 1 750. In those days as now. the lateral 1 gaited hores were recognised as regular regu-lar .-peed demon, but lacking In con-sistency. con-sistency. The charge was also frC-; frC-; (luently made that pacing (..:: -. .-r . much mure likely to balk than troi-r troi-r ters or saddle borses, .-nd this led to tip start of r movement 10 stop the j pacing gait because it was explained as cruel end inhumane. The movement move-ment heVer amounted to much, how - ever. The pacers of the earl) days, however, how-ever, are said to have differed ma-Lterlally ma-Lterlally In Kind, from those ltt to-day. to-day. Their gait was noi so rhythmic. High headed pacer w . 1 ihe style. The pacer gre.v In popularity from the first. It was not until after 1S0O. j however, that he camo into his own. ! Horsemen In the early days looked j upon the side-wheeler as somewhat of a freak, and it was not until after the racing game had firmly established j Itself that pacers were given a chance to race. WilUam Edwards nOS the first noted not-ed turfman to give the pacer reobgni-! reobgni-! tion. He flnallv Miked the Grand ( Circuit stewards Into giving races for th slde-wheelci-Pj and soon after this rth.. pacer -appeared with hobbles. It I is said, but never proven, that Qeorgi Washington always admired the pacer, but there Is nothing in his Various note books or correspondence to denote de-note that special fondness There art many lefc-ienres to his saddle and driving borses. The search for historical his-torical data promises to assume na-tion-wido proportions.