PACE-MAKER. 385 



to think that this idea is erroneous, and that every pound of 

 extra weight on a horse's back diminishes the rate of speed at 

 which he can travel, even during the early portion of the 

 journey, when he is quite untired. 



USING A PACE-MAKER. 



Modern experience in cycling has shown that a man on a 

 machine can do far better time with a good pace-maker than 

 without one. As I have no experience in the art of pedalling, 

 I cannot advance any authoritative reasons for this statement, 

 which is universally accepted as an incontestable fact. It is 

 probable that the progress of the man, who in all these cases 

 keeps close behind his pace-maker or pace-makers, is 

 materially aided by the current of air which follows the man 

 or men in front, owing to the comparative vacuum that they 

 leave behind them at each moment of their progression. In 

 any case, they considerably lessen the resistance which the 

 cyclist would otherwise experience from the wind, especially if 

 it was a head one. Mr. William Day writes as follows in his 

 valuable book, The Racehorse in Training : " I may here 

 mention an interesting fact, which is the cause, undoubtedly, 

 of unsatisfactory performances in long-distance races. It is 

 the waiting too long for, or more strictly speaking, per- 

 haps, it should be called the lying back too far from, the 

 horse that is detailed to do the work. As a rule, the 

 distance between the two is some eight or ten lengths. It 

 should never exceed two or three lengths ; for if you 

 concede more you are virtually making, not a fast, but a 

 waiting race of it." 



Horses generally go better and settle down in their gallop 

 sooner with a lead than without one. This is specially true 

 with young ones, which are apt to sprawl about, and go on 

 with all sorts of " calfish " tricks when they are in front ; at 

 least during the first part of a race. Some horses, however, 



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