HOW TO TRAIN A COLT. 185 



is excellent ; but no amount of vital energy will hold a 

 horse up through the wear and tear of a four-mile race. 

 A perfect bone-structure is admirable; but what are 

 bones, if the breathing-apparatus is inadequate? The 

 first point, therefore, I say, that a breeder or owner of a 

 likely colt should consider, is this matter of lung-devel- 

 opment. The great question with him should be, ''How 

 can I expand and enlarge his lungs ? " Still, although 

 every reader will see at a glance the vital significance 

 of this point, it is, I presume, a branch of horse-culture 

 to which less attention is paid than any other. You 

 can get books by the score on the "Foot," on the " Bone- 

 Structure," on "Muscular Development," on almost 

 every possible subject, relating to the horse, about 

 which a book could be made, or a discussion started ; 

 but when you go to the bookseller's to inquire for books 

 telling you how to build up the lung-poioer of a horse, 

 you can find no such book for sale! Our limits do 

 not allow us to treat of this most important subject at 

 length ; and we can only hope to call attention to it, and 

 make, in a plain, simple way, a few suggestions which 

 may prove of value to the breeder and trainer. 



To begin with, then, let it be remarked that colts 

 need a great deal of exercise. By nature they were 

 made for rapid movement. Like young birds, they 

 develop in motion. The number of miles a colt of high 

 breeding, and in good condition, will go when at pas- 

 ture each day, is something surprising. I will not 

 mention my estimate, because no one would believe it 



