DIRECTIONS FOR A TRIAL. 61 



It proves that the nervous system is by no means 

 exhausted, and also that the system is quite free of any 

 obstruction to its powers of action. 



The time will now have arrived for a trial, but care 

 must be taken that inexperienced hands are banished 

 from participation in the performance. 



The leader of the trial should be possessed of a cool 

 head, a good knowledge of pace, and should never 

 begin too quickly, which overexcites nervous horses, 

 and makes them scramble along before getting fairly 

 and gradually into their stride. As a rule, in a trial 

 the first mile had better be got over slowly ; it calms 

 both horses and riders, and gives the latter time to 

 consider how he can mend the horse's ' style of going.' 

 It is always easy to mend a bad pace, but very difficult 

 to preserve a clipper ; therefore the real trial should 

 not begin until one mile has been gone over ; the 

 horses being well together and going with a collected 

 sweeping stride. 



It is no trial to allow lads to burst off and chop one 

 another down in the first half mile, or to allow one to 

 leave the other some lengths in the rear at starting:. 



All such tricks — and they are nothing else — however 

 satisfactory on the racecourse, when successful, must 

 be entirely forbidden on the training ground. 



Supposing the horse has to run two miles, mark out 

 two miles and a half, and order the lads to come along 

 slowly for the first mile, and then go the remainder of 

 the distance ' a duster ! ' Never allow horses to be 

 ridden out, and moreover never to be run away from ; 



