144 HORSES AND ROADS. 



capital plan for the reason that the thoroughbreds 

 have not to travel over any hard roads on their way 

 to and from their gallops. They are ridden from 

 their stables over the very short distance that inter- 

 venes between there and the loamy soil and leaves 

 over which they gallop on the rides in the forest, 

 and this gives the yearlings and two-year-olds a fine 

 opportunity to expand their heels and their feet 

 generally, instead of contracting the natural growth 

 by " binding " them, as it were, with iron. In fact, 

 very few indeed of the horses trained by Henry 

 Jennings run even in their races with plates on 

 their hind feet, and only wear " tips " on their fore 

 toes. The feet of all the horses in this large 

 establishment are well cared for, and the yearlings 

 especially derive immense benefit from the " bare- 

 foot " system of training, as their feet are altogether 

 broader in both the hind and fore quarters of their 

 structure, and their frogs firmer and more healthy 

 than the young things that are shod even before 

 breaking.' 



Of course, the remark that the horses are enabled 

 to go unshod because they have not to travel over 

 any hard ground is only due to a popular delusion, 

 the real fact being that it would be much better for 

 them if they took all their walking exercise over 

 good hard roads. Their feet would then become 

 sufficiently toughened to enable them to dispense 

 with the last remnant of iron, which Mr. Jennings 

 employs in the shape of ' tips ' on the fore feet only, 

 leaving the hind ones in their natural state. 



