EAKLY TKAINIXG. 187 



and their whole physical organization better fitted to 

 stand the wear and tear of training V' 



My answer is, " Yes, if they are properly trained,'' 

 and, of course, when I speak of the benefits of early 

 training, it is assumed that it is judicious training. 

 Four colts out of five that have suffered from early 

 training have not suffered because the\^ were trained 

 young, but because they were not properly trained. 

 There are many men who can train a mature horse, 

 and still more who can successfully drive him after 

 somebody else has trained him ; but the men capable 

 of properly and intelligently educating colt trotters are 

 as scarce as 2:15 horses. To listen to much of the 

 clamor against colt training, one would imagine that 

 aged horses never were known to break down. All 

 horses gifted with natural speed have not the capacity 

 to train on ; and a horse lacking in this respect will 

 inevitably " go wrong " before he reaches the limit of 

 his speed capacity, no matter when he is trained. If 

 he goes wrong at two years old he will be a cheaper 

 failure than if he goes wrong at ten years old. If a 

 stallion has not the power to make a great sire, and his 

 get have not the capacity and quality to make good 

 performers the quicker the owner and trainer find it 

 out the better. 



I am not only strong in the belief that the colt can 

 be trained for speed from his infancy without injury, 

 but that such training, if successfully and judiciously 

 given, is a great and lasting benefit. It will make him 

 a better aged horse. Let two colts in all other thino:s 

 equal be raised together, the one trained from his 

 yearling form, the other not worked until he is five 



