834 RACING. 



be raised in perfection without the stimulus of racing, there 

 would be no means for ascertaining which of them was 

 the best for transmitting the two important qualities of 

 speed and bottom (or endurance) ; no other test would so 

 fully make known these qualities. 



To give the reader an idea of the manner in which horses 

 are trained for racing, and of the management of the race 

 itself, we condense the following account from the best 

 writers on the subject, in England, (where horse-racing is 

 a national pastime, Parliament adjourning on the day of 

 the great Derby race at Epsom,) and from the rules of the 

 English "Jockey Club." A careful study of the manner 

 in which horses are trained for racing cannot fail to give 

 some valuable suggestions as to keeping working and 

 pleasure horses in a proper condition for the performance 

 of their labor. 



Traiyiing- stables are necessarily located near a good 

 piece of ground upon which to exercise the horses. This 

 should be, if possible, of such a character that it will never 

 get either very soft in wet, nor very hard in dry weather. 

 A piece of deep old turf, on land which is thoroughly 

 well drained, either naturally or artificially, is best for the 

 purpose. The stables themselves should be roomy, and 

 well ventilated ; and it is desirable to have them rather 

 dark than light, as the horses get the necessary amount of 

 light in taking their exercise, and as they will be more 

 ready to take their feed, and to rest themselves after hard 

 work, in tolerably dark stables. The best form for the 

 stable is probably a compromise between stalls and loose 

 boxes which keep their inmates entirely secluded, — that 

 is, large stalls, about ten feet in length and six feet in 

 width, closed at the rear with a door which can be locked, 

 when it is desirable to allow the horse to move about 

 at pleasure in his apartment, and boarded up only to a 



