Finishing the Horse. 1 1 1 



his croup. That our present system of break- 

 ing draught-horses spoils them for the saddle, 

 and that it even disfigures them when in har- 

 ness unless manacled by the irksome bearing- 

 rein, are comparatively slight objections to it. 



The race-horse is another example of the 

 same kind. It is thought that by attempting 

 to collect his paces we should run the risk of 

 crippling that headlong rush of speed which 

 makes, as * Harry Hieover ' truly says, the 

 only real difference between a valuable horse 

 and an invaluable phenomenon. The subject 

 is one upon which I wish to speak with the 

 diffidence becoming a person wholly unac- 

 quainted with the turf. But I think no horse- 

 man who has ever witnessed a false start for 

 the Derby, or who has ever examined the 

 fore legs of an aged race-horse, will deny that 

 the sacrifice of suppleness to speed is a terrible 

 one, or that a prudent trainer ought, before he 

 makes it, to be quite sure that it is absolutely 

 necessary. 



There are, on the other hand, certain de- 

 scriptions of horse which require the ordinary 

 process of suppling and something more ; 

 that is to say, there are purposes for which a 



