NATUEE OF EXERCISE. 151 



this strain must be in the case of a race-horse struggling 

 home during a desperate finish. When the muscles 

 which flex the fore-legs become tired, a considerable 

 portion of the weight of the horse and his rider, which 

 is propelled forward by the hind, has to be borne by 

 the suspensory ligaments of the fore-legs. No wonder 

 then that race-horses, as a rule, break down within 

 the ' distance,' especially if the ligament has been pre- 

 viously injured. We also may readily see why they 

 are more apt to break down when out of work than 

 when in condition." 



Fast work should be very sparingly given on hard 

 ground, owing to the great danger there is of horses 

 exercised on it spraining their suspensory ligaments, 

 and injuring the bones of their legs and feet. 



It is most important that the trainer should recog- 

 nise the fact that he can greatly increase a horse's 

 speed by practice. We find, as a rule, that a pedes- 

 trian who has been put into regular training for the 

 first time, will, after a year's constant practice, do his 

 100 yards, say, 1 sec. faster, or his mile, say, 20 sec. 

 better than he could have done before, even when in 

 condition. The same holds good at boxing, fencing, 

 and other kindred sports ; and, undoubtedly, does so 

 with horses, whose muscles obey the same laws as 

 those of our own bodies. The benefit, however, which 

 may be derived from practice, in this respect, will be 

 more or less lost if the work be continued after the 

 muscles have become fatigued; for the simple reason 

 that, as soon as they get into this condition, the speed 

 at which they first moved will become decreased, and 

 what was, at starting, fast work, ends by becoming 



