310 THE IMPROVED ALtT OF FARRIERY. 



HORSE RACING. 



'^N the month of December, 1800, a match was to have 

 been run over Doncaster course for one hundred 

 guineas, but one of the horses having been drav^n, a 

 mare started alone, that by running the ground she 

 might ensure the wager ; when having run about one 

 mile of the four, she was accompanied by a greyhound 

 bitch, who joined her from the side of the course, and 

 emulatively entering into the competition, continued 

 to race with the mare the other three miles, keeping 

 nearly head and head, affording an excellent treat to 

 the field, by the energetic exertions of each. At 

 passing the distance-post, five to four was betted in 

 favour of the greyhound, when parallel with the stand 

 it was even betting, and any person might have taken 

 his choice for five or ten. The mare, however, had 

 the advantage by a head at the termination. 



In Italy, the charming diversion (horse-racing) is 

 not unfrequent. The horses are not, in general, like 

 ours, mounted and managed by a jockey, but are left 

 at perfect liberty to exert their power in the greatest 

 degree to attain the goal. At the time of carnival in 

 Rome, these races are generally run in the long street, 

 called in Italian, il cor so ; the length is nearly eight 

 hundred and sixty-five torses, or rather more than one 

 English mile. They are generally Barbary horses that 

 are employed in this amusement. In appearance, these 

 animals are small and very far from handsome. They 

 are all kept equal by a rope, against which they press 

 with their breasts till the signal to start is given ; the 

 rope is then dropped, and the affrighted horses start 

 away at full speed. In Florence they endeavour to in- 

 crease the speed of their horses by fixing a large piece 



