3 o8 CAMBRIDGESHIRE TRIALS 



Codrington's interest in him. Mr. Sturt was not at the 

 meeting, and I represented his interest in the affair, and, 

 I hope, to his satisfaction ; for on the happy termination 

 of the case he very kindly gave me an excellent gold 

 watch and chain, in token of his esteem, with an appro- 

 priate inscription, a gift which I accepted with thanks, 

 and greatly value to this day. 



As in this chapter my reminiscences have taken the 

 form of recording my experiences in the technical matter 

 of trials, I may, perhaps, be forgiven if I am induced to 

 say a word on another subject, intimately connected with 

 my profession, which has often given me food for rumina- 

 tion. I have previously condemned, with all the severity 

 at my command, the evil practice of employing light- 

 weight boys, not only utterly incompetent, but also 

 physically incapacitated, and calling them 'jockeys.' 

 But I would here say a word of deserved praise of ex- 

 perienced men, who, under the name of ' stable-boys,' or 

 ' lads,' often do good service in the saddle. I do not use 

 the term in any way in a disparaging sense, or to give 

 offence to eminent jockeys, who, to their credit, have 

 once been ' stable-boys,' and have risen to their present 

 rank ; but using the term to distinguish between the ex- 

 perienced horsemen who do stable-duties, and the crack 

 riders of the day. I think a word may in fairness be 

 said for and against both. 



It may be bold to say so, but I believe I am correct in 

 my view, that jockeys are more often than not the cause 

 of the mistakes that are made in trials. Ludicrous as 

 it may appear, it is a fact that many of them try to 

 add to their reputation by winning trials ! To do so, 

 they will sacrifice everything ; will take advantage, if 

 possible, of the boys that ride with them, and even 

 jealously try to outride each other, thus making the 



