AND EXERCISE BOYS. 233 



commonly termed in the stables, a calf, — in other 

 words, he will be less likely to throw him. This is 

 the sort of horse a young boy should be put to look 

 after. Such boy should be instructed in every thing 

 appertaining to the taking care of a horse, as to the 

 manner of feeding, dressing, clothing, &c., by an older 

 hand, who is well acquainted with his business. 



The time of teaching a boy to ride is, of course, 

 when the horses are at exercise. As race-horse stables 

 are mostly on or near the ground on which the horses 

 are trained, it is the custom (and a very excellent one 

 it is) before the groom sets his horses on their legs 

 (by giving them a short gallop) to order the boys to 

 walk them, at a proper distance from each other, round 

 a large circle, that they may stretch their legs, and 

 empt themselves before they commence their gallops. 



It is generally during this period that the groom 

 gives his orders to the different boys, according to cir- 

 cumstances, how they are to go with their horses, as 

 to their length and pace, and the different sorts or 

 parts of ground they are to go on; but he seldom 

 troubles himself with the first rudiments of a young 

 boy's riding, that being generally left to the head lad. 



Let us now suppose a string of race-horses to be 

 clothed up, turned round in their stalls, with the boys 

 on them, ready to go out to exercise. Before they start, 

 the head lad gives his instructions to the young boy; he 

 arranges the length he is to ride in his stirrups, by 

 making him stand up in them, and leaning his body 

 forward, with his fork over the pummel of the saddle; 



