56. COMMON SYSTEM OF TRAINING. 



and to accustom the muscles and tendons to bear the 

 tension resulting from the force and rapidity with 

 which they must be put in motion. 



Xow the usual practice of training is to give horses 

 continual walks and continual ' breathings ' as they are 

 termed, — i.e. walking down half a mile, and cantering 

 back the same distance at a good pace, continuing this 

 work for three hours every morning — too long, in my 

 opinion, for any colt to be on his legs at any one time. 

 This system of training may be all very well when 

 two year-old courses, or even mile courses are the objects 

 in view ; for which short spurts — the shorter the better 

 — must be resorted to, as the only means of making a 

 horse quick on his legs, on which acquirement nearly 

 all his chances of success depend. But for such 

 courses no animal should be kept out more than two 

 hours per day, and this at separate intervals, — i.e., one 

 hour in the morning and one in the afternoon ; during 

 which time, alternate walks and spins must be given. 

 This species of training, however, is generally confined 

 to professional trainers ; so little need be said on this 

 head. 



The quick work must, as I have previously remarked, 

 depend entirely on the distance to be run. 



Should the distance be from one and a-half to two 

 miles the horse should be lightly fed during the morn- 

 ing of galloping the distance, which should be gone 

 over at his best pace from once to twice a-week, ac- 

 cording to circumstances. The horse should be walked 

 about for one hour, then stripped of all his clothes, 



