284 ON THE DUTIES OF THE HEAD LAD. 



with some of his horses at any particular meeting, the 

 head lad, having previously received the groom's orders, 

 feeds and works such horses as may be left in the 

 home stables, and when he is thus employed, he should 

 be allowed the use of a hack. He is sometimes sent 

 with a horse or two to a country meeting, and is occa- 

 sionally entrusted to train and ride such horses. When 

 the groom is otherwise employed, he is also entrusted 

 with horses of value and in high repute that may be 

 going to travel to any of the great meetings. There 

 is one principle to which a head lad should strictly 

 adhere, and that is, — secrecy relative to any horse's 

 being amiss. He must not on any account communi- 

 cate his thoughts or suspicions upon such a point in 

 any way or to any person except to the training groom 

 under whom he is serving. It may be necessary to 

 caution a young beginner previous to his entering on 

 a situation as a training groom or jockey, how he is 

 to act towards his employer ; and this shall form the 

 subject of the next chapter. 



