122 THE HORSE: ITS KEEP AND MANAGEMENT. 



very little. If they are allowed to run on a hard road they 

 are almost sure to throw splints, or side bones. Even after 

 they are four years old they should be worked very steadily 

 indeed. In fact if they are really valuable horses they 

 should be lightly worked for about a month, or six weeks, 

 then turned out for another year, till they are five years 

 old. Even then they should not be allowed to do much 

 running on the hard road till they are about six years old. 



No doubt many of my readers will think this is a very 

 ridiculous statement to make, but if a horse only does 

 a little work before he reaches the age of six, he will be 

 sounder on the legs when he is fifteen than many are 

 at seven when they are worked at so early an age. I know 

 it seems a waste of time for a horse to do so little work by 

 the time he is five years old, but if a person wants really 

 good horses, the rules I have laid down shew the proper 

 steps to take. Seventeen out of every twenty horses, which 

 have to run on the roads in large towns and cities, such 

 as London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and other 

 large places, at four years old have quite done their work 

 when they are from seven to ten years of age. They are 

 over at knee, and the sinews of their legs are drawn up 

 like worn out old horses, through constantly being on the 

 hard road before the bones of their legs are thoroughly 

 set, and the sinews hardened. Horses should never be used 

 for that purpose until they are six years of age. After they 

 reach that age five years hard work on the stones will not 

 hurt them half as much as two before they reach that age. 

 Tramway companies, cab proprietors, and 'bus proprietors 



