352 TRYING TWO-YEAR OLDS. 



of weighing the jockey, the lad, and the two 

 boys who are to ride them in their trials. In 

 Vol. I. p. 22, I recommended that there should 

 be kept in the training groom's study one of the 

 dial plate weighing-machines, to which of course 

 there is to be attached a weighing-chair, (for a 

 description of this chair, see again Vol. I. p. 261). 

 It is to be observed, that there should not be, on 

 the premises of any racing establishment, either 

 private or public, any other convenience for the 

 riders to be weighed than the one above-men- 

 tioned ; if there is, the boys will be frequently weigh- 

 ing each other, whereby they will all accurately 

 ascertain their weights, at least this was the 

 practice amongst exercise boys when I was one 

 myself. This machine is so constructed, that the 

 person who is being weighed, if he sits properly 

 back in the chair, is unable to see the index on 

 the dial plate, and as the index immediately on 

 his rising points to 0, he is of course unable to 

 ascertain how much he weighed. This is a matter 

 of some importance, as the training groom is 

 thus enabled to conceal their exact weight from 

 the jockeys and boys, more especially the lat- 

 ter, if they are too much inclined to talk. Of 

 course, the trainer admits only one at a time 

 into his room to be weighed, and makes a me- 



