CHAPTER XXXVIII 



THE EDUCATION OF THE YOUNG 



J. H. YOUNG, the able trainer at Allen Farm, whose 

 experience is not confined to one section of the coun- 

 try, at my urgent request prepared the following for 

 this volume: 



" In regard to describing my system of training 

 colts, I am afraid that it will be a hard thing to do. If 

 you were here I could tell it to you much better, but 

 will try, and will begin with yearlings. After they 

 are broken so that you can drive them all right (and 

 there is no trouble at Allen Farm in that respect, as 

 they are all well and carefully broken as weanlings) , 

 we take them up in the fall, after a run on grass, 

 shoe them as light as possible, and have them go 

 good-gaited. I would prefer a six-ounce shoe and 

 three-ounce weight to a nine-ounce shoe. Always 

 boot them well from the first, for if a colt at the start 

 brushes or hits himself, he will become afraid and 

 break and get unsteady, if ever so slight, and it is 

 very hard to get them steady if they once form the 

 habit of jumping, and they will form that habit in 

 two work-outs. Another thing that I am particular 

 about is that the bit is an easy one and fits the mouth 

 well. I jog but very little on a half-mile track. I 

 jog once around, step them lightly through the last 

 eighth, pull up, jog slowly around to the same eighth, 

 step them a little faster, pull up and jog slowly again 

 around to the same eighth, and step them as fast as 



333 



