294 HAIS-DBOOK OF THE TURF. 



Weight-pocket. A receptacle in a horse's boot for 

 receiving weight for the purpose of balancing the action. 

 Used instead of toe or side weights ujDon the foot, or a weighted 

 shoe. The material used for weight is usually sheet lead, or 

 shot. A boot so fitted is called a weighted or leaded boot. 



Weig'hing' in, and Weighing" Out, is required of all 

 jockeys and drivers ; weigihing out at the start, weighing in at 

 the finish of the heat or race. ^ The Turf Congress rules require 

 that horses must bring in within tw^o j)ounds of the weight 

 taken out. It is said that drivers will very often shrink from 

 two to tw^o and a half or three pounds in driving a hard, hotly 

 contested race. 



Well-bred. A term often used in describing a horse, 

 but one having no real significance or value; nor does it 

 increase the worth of the animal. An attested pedigree is the 

 only recognized evidence of merit in the breeding of a horse 

 that possesses added value. 



Welcher. A race-course sw^indler who makes bets, takes 

 the money if he wins and absconds if he loses. Originated 

 from the nursery rhyme : 



"Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief." 



Welter; Welter Weight. To lap over. A welter 



weight is 28 pounds added to w^eight for age ; and a " heavy 



welter " is 40 pounds added to weight for age. It is understood 



that this weight took its name from a place in Ireland, much 



frequented during the earlier history of the English turf. 



In welters we impose penalties on professional jocks, because Ave know 

 tliat they have been trained in a certain school; whereas we have 

 no standard of comparison for gentleman riders.— Seats and Sad- 

 dles, Francis Dwyer. 



Wen. A w^en on the upper part of the windpipe, or upon 

 a main artery or vein, is an unsoundness ; but on other parts 

 as on the top of the hock, (capped hock), elbow, or place of 

 little consequence, it is a blemish. 



Went to Pieces. Said of a horse that breaks, is 

 unsteady and unmanageable in a race; as, "in the third heat 

 Hector, driven by Vet Witham, went to pieces in bad shape." 



Wheels. With the use of the pneumatic tire for sulkys 

 a specialty at once came into track vehicle manufacture — that 

 of the making of wheels to be attached to the high sulky, to 

 convert it into a "bike." These w^heels are constructed of 

 both steel and w^ood, are from 26 to 28 inches in height, weigh 

 from 14 to 16 pounds per pair, and are made in a variety of 

 patterns. The rims are of steel, cold rolled, or of wood ; the 

 hubs are of steel; the spokes are of both wood and steel; the 



