LIFE WITH THE TROTTERS. 317 



winter, it all depends on the kind of a horse you have. If 

 he is soft and washy and scrapes easily there is not much 

 danger so long as you do not allow the llesli to get baked 

 on him. If you give your horse a good field to run in and 

 he is in good health and spirits he will take a great deal of 

 exercise himself. As the weather grows colder leave him 

 in the field only as long as he wants to stir about. Give 

 him thirty minutes in the morning and the same in the 

 afternoon. If the ground gets hard put tips on him so he 

 will not break his feet; weigh him about once in thirty 

 days and then you will not be deceived in his condition. 



As to blankets in winter, I like a comfortable stall and the 

 less clothes the better. If it comes to a cold night and you 

 think you want an extra blanket on your own bed, see that 

 the horse has one. Keep everything about your horse and 

 stable in winter just as clean as you would in summer. A 

 horse is different from a hog, he never thrives in dirt. As 

 to when you will take your horse up in the spring and 

 commence to work him depends entirely upon what part of 

 the season you want to trot him. If you think he will not 

 be good enough to go through the grand circuit get ready 

 and take in Michigan and Indiana for a little early com. 

 When you have made up your mind just what you want to 

 do with him, then you should decide on your training 

 ground — something very important in the Northern country, 

 where at the best we have a good deal of uncertain weather 

 in the spring. What you need now is good roads, early 

 grass, good water, good stabling and a track that dries off 

 quickly after the rain, and wherever that is take your horse 

 there and train him. 



There has been a great deal written and said for and 

 against clipping horses. I myself have clipped at some time 

 in their career all the best horses I ever trained. When 

 you take a horse up out of his winter quarters, he will 

 naturally have an excessive coat of hair, his flesh will be 

 soft, and with very moderate exercise he will sweat more 

 or less. If the weather is cold it is impossible to rub him 



