INSTRUCTIONS TO HIDING BOYS. 135 



It may be considered by some of my readers, 

 that I have been rather too minute on the sub- 

 ject of exercise boys; but, by others, as those 

 who train horses, and have known the want of 

 good riding boys, and are best capable of appre- 

 ciating their vakie, my minuteness will, I hope, 

 be readily excused. To prevent the groom from 

 encountering any difficulty from a boy unexpect- 

 edly leaving him, the better way to obviate such 

 an inconvenience, and hold the boys in some 

 little check, would be to keep one or two s})are 

 ones on the premises, that know tolerably well 

 what they are about. 



Having spoken of how boys that have to ride 

 race horses in their exercise are to be disciplined, 

 so as to make them useful to their employers, we 

 will now describe the sort of man we wish our 

 jockey to be, and the necessary requisites he 

 should be in possession of. His height should 

 be five feet five, he should be proportionably 

 well made, and very strong on horseback, have 

 good nerve, good hands, with a cool, clear head ; 

 added to this, he should be bold, ready, active, 

 and as quick of apprehension as occasion may 

 require of him, so that he may know well when 



