CHAPTER XIII 

 SUGGESTIONS TO HORSE-SHOW MANAGEMENTS 



From an exhibitor's point of view many of the fol- 

 lowing suggestions and innovations at horse shows 

 might be welcome. 



In saddle classes judges should more often ride en- 

 tries so as to test their gaits and mouths. In this way 

 a horse that " gives a good ride" will not be turned 

 down for the more showy animal, whose rider con- 

 fidentially whispers after the class: "He nearly broke 

 my back at a trot." 



I have recently seen a suggestion (written undoubt- 

 edly by some onlooker) that exhibitors be compelled 

 to forfeit all their prize moneys if they scratch in any 

 classes. Such an arrangement would only be fair if 

 the "time-card" were printed at the same time as 

 the prize list, so that exhibitors in making their en- 

 tries, would know just how many classes per day to 

 enter in, and not find out at the last moment that all 

 the classes the horse is entered in come on the same 

 day and that the horse will be obliged to tire himself 

 out just prior to showing in some important challenge 

 cup. Time-cards cannot, however, in the nature of 

 things, be printed until all the entries have come in, 

 and therefore any such suggestion as the above is likely 

 to meet with disapproval and quite rightly so. 



I agree that it is exceedingly unsportsmanlike to 

 scratch one's horses every time one gets into a "huff" 

 at the judging, but there are, nevertheless, circum- 

 stances and cases in which, in justice to the horse, 



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