LIFE WITH THE TEOTTEES, 307 



two extremes. My idea is to have a few blankets and have 

 them made very light. Bandages are another thing which I 

 think are greatly abused. Why a man will bind up a horse's 

 leg with a flannel bandage and leave it there all night is 

 something which I could never find out. If you try the same 

 treatment on yourself and go to bed I guarantee you won't 

 rest well. If your horse has a bad leg, attended with fever 

 and inflammation, a bandage saturated in some cooling lotion 

 might have a beneficial effect in case it is not left on too 

 long. I think that between heats in a race, or after severe 

 work, if some light, stimulating liniment or wash is applied 

 and the bandage is not put on too tight, it acts as a prevent- 

 ive against soreness in those particular parts. 



In regard to harness, almost every trainer has different 

 ideas. A great many use what is called the single-strap 

 harness. I have tried them and do not like them, as they 

 lire almost sure to chafe the horse. Whatever harness you 

 use be sure that there is none but the best of leather used in 

 the making of it.. I)on't buy a ready-made harness for your 

 horse, as in that case nine times out of ten you will not be 

 able to make it fit him. If your harness-maker is a mechanic 

 he can measure your horse and make the harness fit him as 

 well as Joe Day, the ' ' swell ' ' tailor of Chicago, could fit 

 Berry Wall with a suit of clothes. Be sure and have a good 

 strong saddle and an extra wide soft girth, as there is where 

 most of the strain comes on a track harness. Put some 

 secure fastening on the check hook so that your check can 

 not fly off; don't trust to a cork, as that will be sure to give 

 way at the critical moment. The bridle, another very 

 essential part, if with blinds, wants to set close to the horse's 

 head. Have the holes punched in it close together, then you 

 can make it fit well without pinching the horse. Have the 

 reins made the right length, and don' t have three or four 

 yards of leather hanging doAvn behind the sulky. Have the 

 holders on the reins good length and wide, and be sure that 

 you have them in exactly the right place, so that if the horse 

 from any cause, either from breaking or otherwise, should 



