ON TRAIiNING (iROUNDS. 191 



would be much more complete for the purpose of train- 

 ing horses ; as on the surface of the upper moor, there 

 is a great deal of long bent sort of grass intermixed 

 with moss, which makes it very soft to the horses' 

 feet. 



The Whitclift Moors, on which the horses are 

 trained, are about two miles from the town of Rich- 

 mond. The high moor is the training ground; the 

 lower moor is the race-ground, and is within a mile 

 of the town. The former has been much more exten- 

 sive than it is at present. That portion of it which 

 now remains as a public training ground, is about a 

 mile long, and not more than a quarter wide, fenced in 

 by a wall. The surface of this moor is similar to that 

 of others in the same county, which have been already 

 described ; that is, there is a great deal of long bent 

 grass, short heather, and moss. This ground admits 

 of a tolerably good hill gallop ; and the horses may 

 take gentle sweats here. But to get the length into 

 horses at the pace which is sometimes necessary, this 

 public part of the ground I consider much too confined. 

 In the training of horses generally, it may answer 

 pretty well for the purpose of forwarding them in the 

 spring to a certain state of their condition. Another 

 objection to this ground is, that as the training stables 

 are situated, there is a steep bad sort of hill which the 

 horses standing in the town have to ascend and de- 

 scend, or come up the turnpike road, which is a distance 

 of two miles, with a steep hill at the commencement 

 of it. The stables at Belleisle are not at an unreasonable 



