12 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 



must acknowledge a penchant for red. The uses of ban- 

 dages are very little understood by many trainers, who 

 use them on occasions when they are actually an injury, 

 and neglect to apply them when good would result. Like 

 the shoeing, where I differ from others, I will give my 

 reasons for being of a contrary opinion. If they are not 

 cogent according to your belief, show me their falsity. 

 Converse with others, even those whom you think not so 

 well informed. There are points where they may be likely 

 to know more than both of us, and let not the meanness 

 of the source detract from the merit of the position. "We 

 are prone, after establishing a favorite theory, to build up 

 every weak point ; to search diligently for anything that 

 would substantiate it, and as scrupulously avoid every- 

 thing that would tend to weaken the structure. As an 

 illustration of this, we will take your favorite hobby 

 of the superiority of the thoroughbreds in making 

 fast trotters. How carefully you dwell on what gives 

 strength to the speculation : their superiority of form for 

 rapid movements ; their capability of enduring protracted 

 exertion ; their being better supplied with nerve force ; 

 their recuperative power that enables them to "come 

 again," disdaining to yield when every muscle and tendon 

 has been strung to its utmost tension, commanding vic- 

 tory when defeat was booked as a certainty. 



You see all this. Do you see as clearly the effects of 

 generations of habitude to a different gait ? The young 

 grey-hound, by suckling the pointer, and subjected to the 

 most thorough breaking, will never be of use to point 

 game. The high temper, will it brook being kept, in the 

 excitement of a race, to a pace that the animal knows is 

 not the most speedy, and suffer others to lead ? However, 

 I do not want to open the question, only to put you on your 

 guard against accepting that which I have concluded to be 

 right, without scrutinizing closely the reasons I advance, 



