STUD BOOK. 53 



are put fully to the test This is occasionally repeated, in 

 order that the trainer or the owner may be put in foil pos- 

 session of the powers and promise of the animal *At two 

 years old the course is sometimes lengthened to three-quart- 

 ers of a mile, and the speed is again fully tested. 



At the first glance there appears to be some indiscre- 

 tion in this; but the system must be examined. It must be 

 inquired whether it is not wrong to call thus severely on the 

 power of any animal before the period at which its strength 

 is developed; and whether the horse so treated can attain 

 the state of perfection for which he was designed. He may 

 exhibit strength and speed extraordinary for his age, but is 

 he able to sustain the reputation that he acquires? His 

 bones not having acquired the proper strength, and the mus- 

 cles not having attained their full power, is it not reasonable 

 to expect that at no remote period he may deceive his back- 

 ers, a?:d be publicly disgraced; or is it seen that he gets old, 

 although not arrived at the pride of youth, and is he with- 

 drawn from the course? 



It must be conceded, that if another year were granted, 

 and the general date of the appearance of the young horse 

 on the course were three years instead of two, the spirit of 

 sheer gambling would be somewhat curtailed, many a good 

 horse would be saved from the sad fate of those that are east, 

 and the owner would rarely be out of pocket 



On a fair view of the turf, however, there is considerably 

 less cruelty exercised tha.n there was years ago. The training 

 for, and the miming of the four-mile courses, was accom- 

 panied by a great deal of barbarity. The number of those 

 which die in the training, or in the running, is materially 

 diminished. There are numerous accounts of the horse 

 dropping and dying in contesting the four-mile course, and 

 sometimes there were more outrageous heats than these. 

 The starting-post of the six-mile course once stood near Six- 

 mile Bottom at Newmarket The horses are not so much 

 punished in their running as they used to be. No jockey of 

 the present day would disgrace himself by the atrocities that 

 were formerly committed. It is now understood that, whefi 

 a horse is exerting the utmost extent of his stride, and is 

 straining every muscle and every limb from a natural pria- 

 ciple of emulation, the working of the bit, or the moderate 

 application of the whip or spur, may keep him up to the 

 mark; but when he has wound up "each corporeal agent to 

 the terrible feat," the infliction of sudden torture will neces- 

 sarily disturb the harmony of action, and throw the animal quite 



