Q6 HANDBOOK OF THE TURF. 



cannot be regarded as a disease or an unsoundness, but rather 

 as a distortion or blemish- 

 Cushion. A soft finish to a track ; the surface to the 

 depth of from one-half to three-fourths of an inch being made 

 very light and soft by a fine finishing harrow, but yet so yield- 

 ing as to be elastic. 



Tiie rreat point in track biiildinj; is to szet a perfect cnsliion — one tliat 

 issuiooih, springy, and clean, where lliere is a certain amount of 

 yiel<iin<,' wlien tlie foot slrilves. — Training tlie Trotting Horse, 

 Charles 3Iarvin. 



Cut. To reduce ; to take from. A term used by experts 

 in judging a horse at exhibitions by means of a score card 

 system, or scale of points. The work is generally done very 

 rapidly by an expert judge, only the defects in the animal being 

 marked, which are reduced or " cut," from the total number 

 of points included in perfection, and deducted therefrom ; thus 

 showing the total number of points scaled by the animal in a 

 possible 100. 



Cutting, the result of faulty structure, is not an unsound- 

 ness, because the law cannot regard a horse as unsound merely 

 from badness of conformation. 



Cut Loose. A horse is said to cut loose when he jumps 

 to an unprecedented rate of speed; to go uncontrolled an<i 

 almost beyond all limit. 



"Wlien they gave tlie word Edwin was going true as an arrow, and as he 

 turned into the baclv stretch, he cut loose at a rate of speed tiiat 

 looked to me as though he was not only going to beat Rarus' time, 

 but Iv-nock the watches out of their cases as well. — Lite with the 

 Trotters, Joliu Splau, 



