412 HOESE POETEAITUEE. 



feel confident that it will not be long ere she will make 

 the older ones "do all they know how/' to beat her. I 

 have not driven her at her fastest gait around the turns 

 yet, but will now drive her a mile, and let the watch tell 

 the story. 



PKECEPTOB. Hurrah! 2:41, and she was 1:23 in doing 

 the first half. There is no further difficulty of making a 

 trotter of her, as with proper handling, I do not think she 

 will relapse into her former sideling motion. That is the 

 only tiling to fear, and every precaution must be taken to 

 guard against it. It wiU be as well to confine her fastest 

 work for a while to the straight sides, teaching her to go 

 on the turns by degrees, and always letting her wear the 

 roll to protect the pastern. An unlucky blow, by wounding 

 t'-iat, would be very detrimental, as likely to re-awaken the 

 fear she formerly had of injuring it, and destroy the con- 

 fidence she has acquired. I like to have horses capable 

 of going fast on any part on the track especially the latter 

 end. The advantages are too apparent to need comment. 

 This requires practicing a rapid gait on the semicircles, 

 as well as on the parallel lines, to accustom a horse to go 

 with freedom when " rounding a turn." It will be as well 

 not to hurry May in this part of her education, for if we 

 succeed in curing her by taking the whole season, we will 

 be well repaid for the time occupied. Her neck and 

 shoulders will only need "scraping," enveloping them in a 

 wrapper and long hood, though I would not recommend 

 clothing her farther back than a few inches behind the 

 girth. May is a very handy breaker, so that we can look 

 for her to be a " good moneyed horse" a safe one to do 

 in a race all she promises in her trials. 



I cannot see that you need much further instruction 

 and now that you have had a lesson in the danger of allow- 

 ing a horse to wear a shoe that will be likely to do injury, 

 should he " grab," you will not need cautioning on that 



