268 ON RIDING A FREE-GOING HORSE 



if a strong field, is for two or three of you to agree 

 to run for the heat, and distance the horse if you can. 

 If you do not succeed, his rider will most likely have 

 taken a good deal out of him in saving his distance. 

 In the second heat, if it can be agreed upon, those 

 that laid by in the first, may take him off from the 

 post and keep at him the whole of the way home : — 

 the others that waited in the second heat, may take 

 him off again in the third. If he is not to be beaten 

 by being thus run at, he proves himself to be very 

 superior to the compau}^ he is in." 



The groom, continuing his directions to the boy, 

 says, — " Now, if the same sort of thing should happen 

 to you when riding a race over a round course, by 

 your horse bolting or laying out of his ground, you 

 must instantly pull your horse up, and get fairly, and 

 as quick as possible into the course again, and make 

 all the running you can to save your distance ; but 

 never, under such circumstances, run to win. Having 

 saved your distance, decline the heat, and pull your 

 horse up the moment you are within the distance post, 

 and walk him quietly to the scales to weigh. Your 

 horse will not be much abused, nor will the public 

 know any thing about him. But now, boy, if you 

 should be engaged to ride in a match, and the horse 

 you are riding against should swerve, or lay a long 

 way out of his ground, the instant you observe this, 

 take you a pull and make strong running with your 

 horse, until you see, by keeping your head occasionally 

 turned, the other jockey has got his horse into the 



