STUD BOOK. 67 



tionable in appearance, and many of their produce inherit 

 that conformation; but it cannot be traced to the effect of 

 early training, or severe work at any age. Partisan was by 

 no means celebrated for the appearance of his fore-legs, 

 which he doubtless inherited from his grandam Prunella, as 

 most of her descendants possess a similar imperfection. The 

 same might have been traced to Venison, nevertheless his 

 legs were unequivocally sound, otherwise he could not have 

 undergone the very severe racing and constant traveling, 

 which he did at three years old. There are likewise other 

 failings, spavins and curbs, for example, which result from an 

 imperfection in the form of the hocks; these are hereditary 

 imperfections, in which case they will sometimes develop 

 themselves without any exercise, they occasionally proceed 

 from work, and make their appearance on hocks of the most 

 perfect form; but curbs and spavins are by no means so pre- 

 valent as they were some five-and-twenty years ago, at which 

 period it was quite the fashion to fire the hocks of young 

 horses, especially those which were intended for hunters, not 

 because they evinced any weakness or apparent defects, but 

 the poor animals were unnecessarily tortured and disfigured 

 for no good purpose. Such absurdities are happily not prac- 

 ticed in these days of enlightenment. Roaring is a disorder 

 which appears to prevail to a considerable extent, and great 

 attention has been devoted to the subject, yet no one has 

 traced its origin to the effects of early training. 



Early training does not appear to have produced ill effects 

 on several of our best horses, by incapacitating them from 

 accomplishing their most brilliant performances when they 

 arrived at maturity, indeed most horses of celebrity, although 

 trained at two have continued on the turf till they were six 

 years old. Beeswing won the Doncaster cup when she was 

 seven years old. Both Touchstone and Lanercost won the 

 cups at Ascot when they were six years old. Charles "X"TT. 

 won the Goodwood cups two years in succession, on the 

 latter occasion when he was six years old. Si Francis, when 

 five years old, won the Ascot cup, and Epirus, at the same 

 age, the steward's cup at Goodwood. 



