204 TRAINING. 



or level, all and each make a wonderful dif- 

 ference in performance. There is not a horse 

 in existence who, in some race or other, will 

 not gain an advantage from one of these causes. 

 Straight pasterns and tender feet, for instance, 

 are not adapted to a hard course, nor slight 

 legs and slanting pasterns to a heavy one ; so, 

 however confident you may be in having the 

 best horse, never be too sanguine as to gaining : 

 the best horse is rarely the best for all descrip- 

 tions of races, weights, and courses. 



Many beginners are much dissatisfied at 

 strangers or acquaintances running down their 

 horses. Nothing is so favourable. I never wish 

 to hear a horse of mine praised, unless on the 

 day of sale. If a man tells you the neck is too 

 thick, say yes, and the nostril is a little too 

 closed : if he declares the quarter to be short, 

 say yes, and rather wanting muscle ; and, for 

 every point he complains of, you name another. 

 By good management, neither too acquiescing nor 

 too differing, you may turn to good account a 

 querulous visitor of this kind, and lighten him 

 of a gold mohur for each of his mistaken no- 

 tions. These first-sight, guess-work observa- 

 tions, half to three parts wrong on an average, 

 are frequently changed by the utterers them- 

 selves in a week, and although your stud may 



