72 BREAKING. 



break their horses until the third or fourth year ; yet they are 

 always inferior to our own, even in their own country and at 

 any distance. One remarkable example of this was shown 

 by a little mare, Antagonist, by Venison, the property of the 

 late Mr. Death. She won a few races for him, and was in 

 1850 sold for i^300and exported to Egypt as a three-year-old. 

 There, it appears, she was matched against the very best Arab 

 for a twenty-mile race, and beat him in the commonest canter 

 under the most adverse circumstances ; for not only had she 

 no preparation for so severe a course, but she had not recovered 

 from the effects of the voyage. The English mare, half-trained 

 and unwell, beat the Arab over a course specially suited to 

 his staying qualities and totally different to anything she had 

 been accustomed to ; and it seems to me, gave the best proof 

 of the advantage of the system of early breaking. 



The second instance, equally conclusive in its favour, is that 

 of a little two-year-old colt by NottingJiajn scarcely selling 

 plate form, that I sold for £60 for exportation to Calcutta. 

 On his arrival out he was matched for two miles (quite 

 beyond his distance) against the best mare there, and was 

 beat by a head. But the next day, at a mile and a half, the 

 running was reversed, the colt winning easily, and being there 

 and then sold for 1,100 guineas. This statement I give on 

 the authority of the gentleman who bought the animal from 

 me, Mr. William Smith, who himself raced and sold the colt, 

 as related. 



Little more, I am persuaded, need be said in favour of 

 our system, as regards the age at which we break our 

 horses, to prove it is the most suitable — superior, in fact, to 

 that of any country or era. But I may remark, as confirma- 

 tion of my theory, that our only formidable rivals are the 

 French, (of whom the greatest is Count Lagrange, a most 



