THE TROTTING-I10RSE OF AMERICA. 117 



ten miles should be one of well-tried strength in this par- 

 ticular. Therefore the strong work and all the oats he 

 will eat may he ventured on in his preparation for this 

 distance. 



In the course of it, before his first trial, it will probably 

 have been deemed necessary to give him a couple of sweats 

 and, after he is well over them, his work may often be 

 increased with advantage. But vigilance is to be exercised 

 all along to see that the point at which the work begins to 

 be too severe is not reached. The trainer's judgment as to 

 the effect the increased work has upon the constitutional 

 health and legs is all in all here. He will still have a guide, 

 the horse's known habit and breed ; but it will not do to 

 trust to these alone. That would be like steering by the 

 stars at sea, to the neglect of the compass. Now, the stars, 

 as seen by the helmsman, will give a general indication of 

 the course, but not the exact course by compass. And so 

 the habit and breed will furnish general probabilities, but 

 not the particular niceties to be arrived at by carefully 

 observing the effect of the increased work from day to day. 

 The horse will not feel any the worse, in all probability, 

 after the first day or the second ; but, as it goes on, the like- 

 lihood of overmarking him is increased. Five weeks before 

 the race the ten-mile horse may have his first trial, which 

 will be two miles, at two-thirds speed. A scrape may be 

 taken ; and the horse will be cooled out in conformity with 

 the directions before given, by slow walking in clothes in 

 the air, but out of a draught of wind. 



In ten or twelve days after the first trial, he ought to be 

 ready to go two miles and repeat. Let him go the first 

 two miles at two-thirds speed. Then blanket and scrape, 

 and walk about for twenty-five minutes. In the second 

 two miles he may go his best ; that is, his best rate for two 

 miles. Then clothe him well and get another nice scrape. 

 Supposing the horse to have done well all along, he will 

 now be near fine staying condition. Let the work be 



