266 ON RIDING A FREE-GOING HORSE 



old ones. As soon as the horses arrive at the sweating 

 ground, the groom orders the boys with the young 

 ones, to go to a certain part of the course, (what part, 

 will depend on the length they have to sweat,) and 

 to walk about until the other horses which have begun 

 and have to sweat longer lengths, come to them. The 

 young ones then follow in line as directed, the boys on 

 them having been previously cautioned to be very 

 careful with them at their turns, which, if they ride as 

 they ought, they know very well how to arrange. 



Now, the boy I have been instructing to ride, should 

 on his first being ordered to ride a sweat over a round 

 course, be put to do it on an old horse — one which is 

 known to be easy and kind at his turns, and should be 

 placed second in the string ; and, to give the boy an 

 idea how he is to make his turns, the head lad, on one 

 of the horses, should lead the sweat, and previous to 

 his coming to a difficult turn, which requires some 

 caution, (otherwise it is not necessary) he should, in 

 time, turn his head and call to the boy to follow him. 

 The head lad should then also point out to the boy 

 how far it is necessary for him to lay out of his ground 

 so as to make the turn pretty close to the post without 

 in the least altering the stride or pace of the horse. 

 The head lad takes care to begin sufficiently early 

 to lay his horse a little out of his ground as he is ap- 

 proaching the post at which he is to make the turn. 



It is very necessary for a boy to know this part of 

 riding well, in case he should be put up as a light 

 weight to ride in a race ; for if the boy properly ex- 



