106 BREAKING. 



General of the metropolis. Professing, 

 therefore, no interference with, or attack 

 upon, the principles of the science, I proceed 

 to such allusive remarks and inferences as in- 

 terest not only breeders and sportsmen, but 

 all those who have any immediate intercourse 

 %vith the species, whether from the motive of 

 attachment, pleasure, health, or business. 



The first object for general consideration is 

 the age most proper for bringing into work 

 horsas of difterent descriptions, according to 

 their distinct appropriations ; but this, like 

 most other matters, has become subservient 

 to the prevalence of fashion, and in much 

 less than half a century undergone a total 

 revolution. Some years since (and not a 

 great many) colts and fillies were haltered 

 and handled a little at three \ turned out 

 again, and completely hvokeatfour ; used mo^ 

 derately during their Jifth year, and thought 

 to be sufficiently matured for constant work 

 at six : such system has been, however, gra^ 

 dually changing, as the value of horses con^ 

 tinned to increase, a circumstance that in all 

 probability effected the alteration, by tempt* 

 ing breeders to turn their stock into specie,^ 



