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CHAPTER X. 

 BREAKING FOR SPECIAL WORK. 



The race horse The lady's horse The cavalry horse The polo pony The 

 park hack The fashionable harness horse The shooting pony Mules and 

 zebras. 



FOR convenience sake, I have grouped the description of 

 the breaking of certain classes of horses in this chapter 

 without regard to similarity of method. 



THE RACE HORSE. 



As race horses are generally " tried " as yearlings in 

 November or December, their breaking cannot usually be 

 deferred beyond the age of eighteen months. As their 

 trial will probably not be beyond three furlongs, and as 

 it will be given merely to see if the youngsters are worth 

 persevering with and entering for future events, the break- 

 ing need not be more than what will be sufficient to make 

 them handy to ride. In order to imperil the soundness of 

 their legs as little as possible by having no weight on their 

 backs, they should be broken chiefly by means of the 

 long-reins, and by the whip, on foot. Having been handled 

 from the time they were dropped, there will be but little 

 difficulty in rendering them quiet and obedient. Between 

 their trial and the following racing season, which com- 

 mences at the latter end of March, there will be plenty 



