Colonel R. F. Meysey-Thompson 



He was then informed what a trouble the malaria had been, 

 and how that was the cause of the sparse appearances in the 

 saddle in later years, which was the more regrettable, since he 

 had thereby seldom been able to ride the good horses he 

 latterly had the fortune to possess. 



It has been mentioned above how much weight may be 

 lost in the course of a hard race, but it is equally curious how 

 small an amount of food may put on weight after wasting, in 

 an almost incredible short time. Mr. Meysey-Thompson's 

 ordinary weight when stripped was lo st. 5 lbs. or 6 lbs., and 

 on the 20th of October, 1876, he rode Malagueno, 10 St., for 

 the Grand Military Race at Gibraltar. He had three other 

 horses to ride that day, Lady Elizabeth, for the St. George's 

 Plate, 13 St. 9 lbs. (which he won), Ducali, 10 st. 7 lbs., for 

 the Barb Stakes, and Plenipo, 13 st. 7 lbs., for the Spanish 

 Handicap (which he also won), so he ventured to take a little 

 food after the first race was over, as the remaining weights 

 allowed him to do so ; but though he had just weighed in 

 10 St. with his saddle, when he weighed out for Ducali for 

 the Barb Stakes his own weight had gone up to 10 st. 4 lbs. 

 He rode both races in a 2|-lb. saddle, and thinking he would 

 require about 5 lbs. of dead weight to make up the impost for 

 Ducali, brought some leads accordingly. However, the weight- 

 cloth alone proved more than sufficient. In the interim between 

 the two races he had ridden Lady Elizabeth, but it was an 

 easy win, and had taken nothing out of him, while the great 

 weight of 13 St. 9 lbs. had enabled him to ride in a large 

 hunting saddle, besides carrying a quantity of lead, so any 

 difference in bodily weight was easily overlooked when weighing 

 for that race. 



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