34 THE BRIDLE BITS. 



peated with the idea of making the colt familiar with the 

 habit of approaching a fence quietly. The elfect of this 

 is, that the colt is systematically trained never to be cer- 

 tain of what he is to do, and as great exertions of the 

 mind and muscle are necessary to take the leap, the colt 

 should unmistakably understand, long before he nears 

 it, that his rider intends taking it at any risk, so that he 

 may prepare in time with both will and muscle-power to 

 gather himself for the bound. 



A man is not jjhysically stronger one moment than he 

 is the next, but his will power is greater, which gives 

 force power to his mascles in action ; and to have a 

 horse's mind and spirit prepared for action, is as necessary 

 as to have the body ready and in condition and trim for 

 general use and special performances. AVe know that this 

 is so with ourselves, and horses are flesh and blood, body 

 and mind, as we are, and with the advantage of peculiar 

 instincts, recpiire the same preiDaration for great physical 

 feats ; yet how many race-horses fail by a length that 

 could be made up but for their being the victims of cus- 

 toms and fashions which it is not our design to explain in 

 this volume. Those men who have means to indulge in 

 fashions and fancy, are like the cockney who went on a visit 

 among country cousins that did all sorts of extraordi- 

 nary things, which the '^green-horn " also did, because 

 everybody did them ; and Avhen he hesitated he was urged 

 on by being told that gambling was tlie custom in the 

 country, and that '^ everybody did it." So when he 

 lost all his money and returned to the city, he was 

 laughed at by his friends, whom he told that he couldn't 

 help it, because everybody did it. If the gentlemen who 

 spend so much time and means on the turf, understood a 

 little more of horse nature and nature's laws, their '' sec- 

 onds " in the races could be made *' firsts " with very 

 little trouble and much less expense. 



