352 LOOKING VERY MUCH LIKE THE THING. 



easily detected by the experienced man; and such 

 symptoms are the only true ones to tell him 

 whether or not he is treating his horse judiciously. 

 He may know that he is treating him judiciously as 

 a race-horse ; but the horse, by the symptoms I have 

 mentioned, will best tell him whether he is being 

 treated (as a particular horse) judiciously or other- 

 wise ; and this, nothing but experience in the al- 

 terations of that particular horse can teach the 

 trainer. 



A trainer, or anv man accustomed to horses in 



j 



training, may form a pretty correct opinion as to 

 whether a horse is fit to go, if he is permitted to see 

 him in the stable and doing his work ; he could, 

 however, only do this to a certain extent. If he saw 

 the horse looked in good form, that his crest and 

 muscles felt firm and springy, his legs clear and cool, 

 his feet good, his eyes and pulse indicating neither 

 debility nor too great a fulness of internal habit, and 

 that he appeared cheerful, but calm and collected, he 

 would be justified in saying, that so far as appear- 

 ances went, the horse was up to the mark; and if he 

 saw the horse go willingly, collectedly, sound, and 

 stoutly at his work, pulled up sound, showed no 

 alarm, and blew his trumpet, as much as to say there 

 is plenty of puff in the bellows left, he might fairly 

 pronounce, that if such a horse should be well on the 

 day of running, he would be there, or thereabout, if 

 he went with horses of his class ; and barring acci- 

 dents or roguery, he would most probably be right. 

 This opinion, however correct it might turn out, 

 or however well it might be founded, as connected 

 with horses in a general way, goes no further than to 

 assume that the horse is fit to run ; but it is not a 



