240 ON THE PACES, AND 



this kind, to purchafe a promifing one in 

 his youth, either from his own fearch, or 

 through the means of a dealer, who knows 

 fomething of the matter, which, in truth, but 

 few of them do. 



If a young trotter be obtained, it will be per- 

 ceived, in an inltant, whether he has a natural 

 great bent of fpeed ; but if not, granting he be 

 thorough-fhaped, and can trot a mile in four 

 minutes handfomely, he may improve, and be- 

 come capital for a long diftance. In training 

 a young trotter, take a long time, keep him al- 

 moft always within himfelf, never trot him 

 with a flack rein, or fuffer him to hitch, lead 

 with one leg, or to get into a confufed run be- 

 tween trot and gallop ; but accuftom him to 

 pull well and Iteadily at you. Always ob- 

 lige him to finifh his trot in a walk, never in 

 either canter or gallop ; in which latter cafe, 

 caufe him to turn round, as is the cuftom in a 

 trotting race. No hack is fit to trot any con- 

 iiderable diftance until riling fix years old ; but 

 it is remarkable that trotters, unlike gallopers, 

 do not lofe their fpeed from old age, many 

 having been known to trot as fafl at twenty, 

 and even near thirty years of age, as they did 

 in their prime ; a folid recompence, furely, for 

 the extraordinary care which thefe horfes de- 

 mand. As it is obvious, that the damage 

 which trotters receive, in their feet, joints, and 



fmews, 



