iV INTRODUCTION. 



brought to that point by the weights to be put up ; — 

 or more particularly, if such horses should be entered 

 to run for public money at any of the annual meetings, 

 where they would, of course, have to meet horses 

 trained by regular trainers, whose practical knowledge 

 must naturally surpass that of a hunting groom, — it 

 would be advisable, under such circumstances, for 

 gentlemen to send their horses in due time to regular 

 training stables to be got ready to run, unless they 

 keep a private training groom of their own ; not only 

 because men in high practice of training are better 

 judges of the art, but because they have more con- 

 venient stables, and good riding boys, with proper 

 ground to work their horses on. 



Before I proceed further, it may be well to give 

 some little account of myself, to enable my readers to 

 judge of the opportunities I have had of becoming 

 acquainted with the art which forms the subject of 

 the following treatise. This I deem necessary, as it 

 might otherwise appear rather extraordinary that a 

 person holding the appointment of Veterinary Surgeon 

 in His Majesty's Service should possess the knovvledge 

 requisite to write upon the training of race-horses. 

 From the brief account, however, which I propose 

 giving of the early part of my life, it will appear that 

 the experience I possess was acquired in the only 

 school where it could by possibility be obtained, 

 namely, — in the Stables, in which such horses are 

 kept. 



When between thirteen and fourteen years of age. 



