HORSES. 51 



tugs, tightening the breeching, etc. This should be re- 

 peated a few times before hitching up the animal. The 

 colt should now be placed in a two-wheeled cart, and a 

 kicking strap applied. It is usually good policy to al- 

 low the colt to stand still until he moves off of his own 

 free will ; then to move along slowly being gradually 

 made to feel the bit and to go slower or faster by 

 gently tightening or slackening the reins. This pro- 

 cess to be repeated every day until he is quite tractable 

 to all changes of vehicle or grade of road. 



In regard to the training of running or trotting 

 horses, there can be no regular rule laid down, as each 

 horse will have to get a special and individual treat- 

 ment, in order to get the very best results from his 

 training. In general terms it can be said that the most 

 successful race horses are those that have a perfect di- 

 gestion, and that have the power thereby of changing 

 the stored-up force or energy that is contained in a 

 large amount of food, into active and potential force, so 

 that some of our most noted running horses take daily 

 from 15 to 20 quarts of oats, and keep in the most per- 

 fect condition when taking even such large quantities. 

 Then again some horses require from 8 to 12 miles of a 

 canter while others will *only stand a quarter of this 

 amount, yet will win some very fast races for short dis- 

 tances. The rule is, however, that the animal that will 

 stand the most severe work in training is the animal 

 that wins large amounts of money. William Day, the 

 celebrated English trainer of race horses, lays down 

 the following valuable rule : " If a young colt that is 

 trained or exercised along side of an old horse has not 

 passed him when near the end of his trial, the old horse 

 ahould be held up to allow the young colt to get cou- 



