114 THE TROTTING-nORSE OF AMERICA. 



they will do their best, the sweats must be more relied on 

 to reduce their superfluities than the strong work they 

 would otherwise demand and might have with entire 

 safety. 



If the legs of these horses stand, so that with the ordi- 

 nary amount of sweats and the extraordinary amount of 

 work they can be brought to their best condition, they 

 may be relied on to last : they will trot all day and the 

 next day too. But when the danger to the legs has been 

 such that it was necessary to give many and heavy sweats, 

 and only an ordinary amount of work, there is always some 

 chance that they may cut up soft, for them. There is still 

 the condition, so far as the absence of internal and external 

 fat and other gross superfluities is concerned ; but the mus- 

 cular system has not had the great amount of work to give 

 it tone and power to endure, which their particular hardy 

 and high-strung organizations, and the extraordinary tasks 

 they are called on to perform, above all others, require. 

 There have been two notable instances of this about here, — 

 one of them a thoroughbred runner; the other thorough- 

 bred also, but a trotter ; and both mares. The first-men- 

 tioned, Idlewild, required a vast amount of hard drilling to 

 make her fit ; and it was not safe to bring her to the post 

 against a good horse without it, although her speed was 

 something wonderful. The other is Lady Talmer, Mr. 

 Bonner's chestnut mare by Glencoe, and therefore a sort of 

 aunt to Idlewild, whose dam was by Glencoe. In spite of 

 excellent bodily condition, apparently, it would not do to rely 

 upon this mare to make one of the extraordinary perform- 

 ances of wliich she is known to be capable, unless she had 

 had a great amount of severe work in the attaining of it. The 

 wind in her and Idlewild might be good enough — though 

 it would be more likely not to be good without the hard 

 drilling; for what is called " good wind " depends largely 

 upon the muscular action of the heart — and still, for want 

 of su^cient work to build up and give lasting tone to the 



