370 LIFE WITH THE TKOTTERS. 



reliable. The climate did not seem to affect him very much 

 as he went about as well here as he could there. Harry, a 

 brown gelding Avith a rf'cord of 2:24|, being a horse of very 

 delicate constitution and a poor feeder, was never able to show 

 anything like his California form. In taking a trotting horse 

 to California after a long and severe campaign here, the great- 

 est advantage derived is, not only the mild climate, which 

 I think is a grand thing for a horse' s nervous organization 

 in the reduced condition which it certainly must be after 

 his arduous work of the season, but in the fact that here 

 you have a chance to give him a run at grass if you wish, 

 which beats anything I ever saw in the way of tonics to 

 build up a horse's reduced system. One other benelit I 

 found was that you could at all times keep your horse par- 

 tially conditioned. That is, you did not have to let up on 

 him entirelj^ If a horse has any weak places about him 

 and you throw him entirely out of training, when you com- 

 mence to train him again you will find that j^ou may have a 

 great deal of trouble to get him back to his original form. 

 I have seen many horses laid up in the fall with bright pros- 

 pects for the following season. But from one cause or an- 

 other their trainers would be unable to get them back after 

 their winter's rest, and they never performed as well as 

 they were expected to. A horse kept uj^ through the win- 

 ter, even in a cold climate, with moderate jogging and an 

 occasional brush at a working gait, can be conditioned much 

 easier to himself in the spring than one that is let up all 

 winter, and I think it much the best i)lan. This was proven 

 to me by the manner in which Mr. Simmons trained Kansas 

 Chief the first winter he owned him. 



The nervous organization of the horse is something 

 which I think is often overlooked. Years ago, in a conver- 

 sation mth that celebrated horseman, trainer and veterina- 

 rian, Dr. Herr, of Lexington, Ky., he advanced some ideas 

 about this matter that I never heard from anyone else, and 

 gave me points on the subject that have been of a great deal 

 of benefit to me. No matter how sound your horse' s feet and 



