West Liberty History 1838-1938

Source: One Hundred Years of History
* Commemorating a Century of Progress in the West Liberty Community * WEST LIBERTY, IOWA
HAROLD CHILDS and the RACE HORSE

"Trotters will always be a drawing card to any fair," said Harold Childs, well-known in West Liberty, and also as well-known over the United States, to horse fanciers and trainers. "Persons who don't know much about horses and races like to see a race. Lots of people don't care for speed but they like to witness the contest in the field."

"You know," said Childs, "I was convinced of this fact when I was in Lexington, Ky., watching a mule race, made up of four little mules and their riders, four nigger boys. These kids passed out their numbers, and the people in the crowd picked their number. The race wasn't fast of course, and they were all close to the finish. That crowd went panicky, especially after the finish; such cheering and tossing up of hats; I never have seen anything like it. This convinced me it isn't the speed, nor the training, neither is it the blooded lines, that interests the people, but the contest. Because all there was to that race was contest; no training, no speed and certainly no outstanding breed, just plain mule, with the combination of a nigger kid for a rider, and the way those kids rode."

As a man who has spent his entire life in the training of colts, and has given more colts a breeder's record than any other trainer in the United States, it is worth ones time to know a little of Harold Childs, born Feb. 5, 1863 and reared to early manhood in West Liberty.

Mr. Childs was the oldest son of William R. and Elizabeth (Elliott) Childs,early pioneers to this place, who ran a saw mill for a few years, then purchased the implement and grain business across from the building used for many years as the Polders shor store on West Third street.

In 1891, Harold left here and went to work for Miller and Sibley, near Franklin, Pa. Here Childs worked with horses and in '95, the firm sent him with 65 head of colts and brood mares to Lexington, Ky., where he worked until 1899.

In these few years there, Childs met one of the world's best trainers, Charles Marvin, who came from Palo Alto, Cal., where he had been training for Governor Stanford, to work for Miller and Sibley at a salary of $10,000 a year.

"Then I trained colts for A. G. Danforth and son of Washington, Ill., also a year for the Patchen Wilkes Stock Farm, owned by W. E. D. Stokes, with the farm located at Lexington. A year for General Watts, Charleston, West Va. Three years for Governor Jacob Ruppert, who owned two of the largest breweries in New York, and had a large farm near Poughkeepsie, where he had a fair ground and the grand circuit races, raced there every year. His son is Col. Ruppert, who owns the New York Yankees ball team."

Mr. Child's life has been full of horsemanship, and it is only within the last few years that he has not been training. His last work was with 13 head belonging to W. N. Reynolds, head of the Reynolds tobacco company. Mr. Childs helped train this string and won the Matron stake, amounting to $6,000. Bevere, a three year old won this and placed second in the stallion race.

Mr. Childs distinguishes between the thoroughbreds and trotters, by saying that thoroughbreds are the horses that the boys ride, they are bred in England and have been bred there for several hundred years. They go a natural gait. The trotting horses originated in this country, and go artificially, as they are gaited for speed.

"It takes a lot of science to train and balance a horse to get a good gait. Some of the most important details are the toe weights, the shoeing and the checking of the individual's head."

Mr. Childs has marked many horses, and made a world's record, in the race for a two year old filly, when he drove Helen Hale, and also the same record for the two year old gelding when he drove Judge Jones.

Iowa and especially this location did a great deal of good in the horse business. Among some of the early owners and breeders who lived in this vicinity, were Amos Kimberly, who with a 1,000 acres of land, owned many race horses and a big race track on his farm, one track a kite shape, the impression of which remains today. The late Benjamin Hershey of Muscatine owned a stock farm, Amboy and Fleeta were his horses. Then Warfield Bros., at Muscatine, and a Mr, Hayes. George Baldwin of this place owned "Brown Cedar." Asa Bowersack, owned "Wapsie," a good sire, but never raced him any, and Albert and Amos Whitacre owned " Senator N.", a son of "Wapsie," the colt was named for Senator Pliny Nichols, and developed amazing speed as a three year old, on his 30th birthday was driven an exhibition mile on the West Liberty track with Albert Whitacre up. The horse lived 34 1/2 years. Sylvanus Hogue, Zed Ellyson, Marvin Fisher, Hillis Ady and the whole Nichols group all had race horses, and good ones.

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