72 THE TROTTING-IIORSE OF AMERICA. 



beaten. It will not do, however, to be giving brandy unless 

 it is clearly required; and here, again, the trainer must use 

 his own judgment, and have firmness enough to follow its 

 dictates. There are always enough outsiders, who, having 

 nothing at stake and no responsibility, will give advice 

 gratis ; but it is commonly to be disregarded. 



In deciding upon what a colt may be safely called upon 

 to do at an early age, his breed, as well as his form, disposi- 

 tion, and constitution, must be taken into account. Those 

 strains which are related more or less closely to the blood- 

 horse may be trained at an earlier period, and will stand 

 more work, than the colder-blooded sorts. This is well 

 understood by those who prepare the steeple-chasers of 

 England and Canada. Some of these horses are quite 

 thoroughbred, some nearly thoroughbred, and some not 

 above half-bred. Now, it has been found by experience, 

 that of two horses apparently alike in stoutness and excel- 

 lence of constitution, but one nearly thoroughbred and the 

 other only half-bred, the amount of work which will improve 

 the wind and speed, and harden the condition, of the former, 

 will almost certainly overmark and ruin the chance of the 

 other. Then the muscles shrink, and become soft and 

 unstrung, instead of increasing in volume and consistency ; 

 then the eye is dull, and the feed is no longer consumed 

 with relish in sufficient quantity. The breed is therefore 

 to be considered as well as the natural constitution of the 

 individual horse in hand. 



The stock of the famous horse Abdallah, who was by 

 Mambrino, a thoroughbred son of imported Messenger, 

 would almost all stand training at an early age ; and what 

 is, perhaps, more important, it did not appear to impair 

 their future durability. It is now thirty years ago since I 

 rode two famous trotting-horses of his get. One of them, 

 Ajax, was foaled in 1834 ; the other, Hector, the next year, 

 1835. At five years old, they were both capital trotters ; 

 and by and by, when we come to speak of the trotting- 



