HANDBOOK OF THE TURF. 97 



feit money is not released by the death of the horse engaged. 

 By the rules of the Tui-f Congress owners and horses may be 

 suspended for non-payment of forfeits ; no horse can start in a 

 race against which a forfeit order is lodged until it is paid, and 

 if any transfer is made for the purpose of avoiding payment of 

 forfeit orders or any disqualification, the person making and 

 receiving such transfers may be fined or ruled off. 



Forg"e ; Forging. Overreaching ; clicking. The act by 

 which the horse strikes the fore shoe, or heel or quarter of the 

 fore foot, with the toe of the shoe of its hind foot, by reason of 

 the fore feet not being taken up quickly enough when the horse 

 is in motion. It rarely occurs except when the horse is going 

 fast, and is most common with running and trotting horses, gen- 

 erally taking place when the animal breaks from a trot to a run. 

 It is due to defective conformation or faulty shoeing. In the 

 former case the stifle is generally set straight and the toes of 

 their hind feet are inclined inward. To overcome this defect 

 the action in front should be quickened. For this purpose use 

 a scoop-toe rolling-motion shoe forward, beveled on the inside, 

 with most of the weight in the toe, concaving the shoe on the 

 ground surface in order that the hind foot may not strike under 

 the toe when the foot is lifted. By shortening the toe of the 

 fore foot it will be assisted in getting over early, and thus pass 

 out of the way of the hind member. The shoe on the front 

 feet should be short, so as to have as little ground surface as 

 possible. 



Forks. The upright guards or supports of the wheel to 

 the pneumatic sulky, which extend from the ends of the axle- 

 cone to the axle of the sulky. In a sulky which has been 

 changed over from a high w^heel to a " bike," they form the 

 upright supports connecting the axle-cone of the wheel to the 

 axle-socket of the sulky. With the braces which extend from 

 the lower end of the forks to the thill or shaft, they form the 

 support to the wheel and act as a guard in which the wheel 

 plays. 



Form. Condition ; spirit ; appearance. When it is said 

 that a horse is in fine form it is meant that he is in excellent 

 condition for his work or performance ; and loss of the trotting 

 or racing form is due to excessive racing or repeated fast heats. 

 The word form is also used to denote age, as "in his three-year- 

 old form," etc. 



When we say that a horse is in form we intend to convey the idea that 

 he is in liigli condition and fit to run. So, again, tlie word is used in 

 still anotlier sense; for we speak of a liorse's form when we wisli to 

 allude to his power on the turf, as compared with other well Icnown 

 animals. Thus, if it be supposed that two three-year-olds, carrying 



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