THE TROTTING-HORSE OF AMERICA. 167 



to be educated up to his best and strongest rate, and the 

 education takes many years. Dutchman improved until he 

 was ten or eleven years old, and it may be questioned 

 whether his very best capabilities were ever brought out ; 

 for the change into new hands just when he had come to 

 the highest pitch that we know of was not altogether 

 favorable to continued advance. Therefore, when a trotting- 

 horse has attained the age of seven, and is aged, or arrived 

 at natural maturity, he has only just reached that stage 

 when we may begin to expect the development of his finest 

 powers ; and that development, according to my experience, 

 is likely to be gradual, and to continue for a long time. No 

 doubt many horses never improve after they are seven ; and 

 in some cases the speed comes to them all at once, as the 

 saying is. In the former, the constitution, breeding, or 

 form is probably defective. 



A century of work would not improve some horses. They 

 get to their best early, and only because their best is very 

 bad. In the other instance, it will commonly be found that 

 those who have jumped up all at once have been horses who 

 have changed their gait, and got to going square, or have 

 changed hands, and in different treatment have done first 

 what they could have nearly done before with the same 

 handling. Hence, while there is but little reason for being 

 in a hurry with a young trotting-colt, and none at all for 

 the expectation that he may arrive at his best early, except 

 when his best will be but bad, there is every reason for 

 giving Nature full time to perfect the hardy, enduring 

 frame in her own cunning way without forcing. 



It is altogether likely that Dutchman might have been made 

 a bigger horse, though he was big enough in my judgment, 

 and an earlier horse, by means of strong feeding when very 

 young ; but I am of the opinion that neither his stoutness in 

 a race of heats, nor his constitutional ability to resist the 

 wear and tear of the race of life, would have been improved 



