MAIDENS. 203 



fully developed before they are eight or nine years 

 old, and until they have been raced for two or three 

 seasons. On this account, one should not lose heart 

 because a likely looking son of the Desert does not 

 answer one's expectations at an early date. Arabs can 

 stand more work in India than any other class. Their 

 forte is undoubtedly distance. 



A young Waler say a four-year old appears to 

 be allowing for the difference between the dates from 

 which they respectively take their age nearly a year, 

 a Country bred a year and a half, and an Arab two 

 years, more backward than an English horse of the 

 same age. 



Young Arabs especially, and indeed all young horses, 

 may, with great advantage, be trained and taught to 

 gallop, without being brought to the post, the season 

 before they are actually run. We generally find a horse, 

 that has been raced the first year he has been trained, 

 to become in the next season from lOlbs. to 1 st. better 

 than he was during the preceding one. In India, horses 

 are often run the first year they are put to work, and 

 even receiving as maidens from 71bs. to 1 st. they can 

 rarely successfully contend with platers, simply because 

 they have not had time to learn their business. We 

 seldom see maidens that have been run thus, come out 

 in anything like their subsequent form, until perhaps 

 towards the end of the season, say for Lucknow, or 

 for some of the other spring meetings ; and then, when 

 they are at their best, it is a pity to lose their maiden, 

 if they have not won previously, when the most 

 important maiden races are over. In England, a young 



