176 TKAINING IN INDIA. 



rarely becoming fully developed before they are eight 

 or nine years old, and until they have been raced for 

 two or three seasons. On this account, one should not 

 lose heart because a likely-looking son of the Desert 

 does not answer one's expectations at an early date. I 

 may mention that Arabs can stand more work in India 

 than any other class, and that their forte is undoubtedly 

 distance. 



A young Australian say a three-year-old appears 

 to be allowing for the difference between the dates 

 from which they respectively take their age nearly a 

 year ; a Country-bred, a year and a half ; and an Arab 

 two, if not three, years, more backward than an English 

 horse of the same age. Many three-year-old English 

 horses (like St. Gatien who, at that age, with 8st. lOlbs. 

 up, won the Csesarwitch in a common canter against 

 a good field) are in their prime at the "back end" of 

 the season. 



Young Arabs especially, and indeed all young horses, 

 may, with great advantage, be trained and taught to 

 gallop, without being brought to the post, the season 

 before they are actually run. We generally find a 

 horse that has been raced the first year he has been 

 trained, to become in the next season from 10 Ibs. to 

 1 st. better (not allowing for age) than he was during 

 the preceding one. If horses are run the first year they 

 are put to work, they will rarely be able to successfully 

 contend against platers, even when receiving, as 

 maidens, from 7 Ibs. to 1 st. ; simply because they have 

 not had time to learn their business. We seldom see 

 maidens which have been run thus, come out in any- 

 thing like their subsequent form, until, perhaps, towards 



