STARTING. 83 



Starting. — Whether the orders are to wait, or to make 

 the running, the jockey should employ every legitimate 

 means to "get off" as quickly as he can, for whatever 

 distance is lost at the start must be made up when the 

 horses are galloping, at which time the effort to regain 

 the lost lengths may, very possibly, be equivalent to 

 throwing away an advantage of as many pounds. 

 We should remember that the faster horses are eoino-. 

 the greater is the effort required to make up lost 

 ground. Although a horse may, when his field are 

 merely cantering, decrease a gap of five or six lengths, 

 with but a trifling expenditure of force ; still, when 

 they come to race against each other, to make up 

 such a distance in, say, half a mile, may make quite 

 a 7 lbs. difference. When walking up to the starter, 

 the jockey should sit down in the saddle with his 

 seat well under him, so that he may not be jerked 

 back on to the cantle, or pulled over the pommel of 

 the saddle, in the event of the horse suddenly springing 

 forward, or swinging his head down and stretching 

 out his neck, as impetuous ones will sometimes do ; 

 he should press his legs to the horse's sides so as to 

 keep him up to the bridle ; he should ride with suffi- 

 ciently long reins to avoid the possibility of checking 



G 2 



