HANDBOOK OF THE TURF. 297 



of ten or twelve miles in a fair day when the sun is shining 

 upon it. Tradition attributes its cutting to King Alfred, and 

 regards it as a monument of the victory won by him over the 

 Danes in the great battle of Ashdown in 871. He is said to 

 have carved a horse, rather than any other object, because that 

 was tne device borne on the Saxon standard. As, in the 

 course of time, the trench which forms the figure of the horse 

 would naturally become grown over, the people living in the 

 vicinity have a custom of meeting, each year, on a certain day, 

 for the purpose of "scouring," or cleaning it This day is 

 made the occasion of a festival, at which manly games and 

 sports are indulged in for prizes. Hence the term, " scouring 

 of the white horse," which has become classic through the 

 story of Mr. Thomas Hughes, the English novelist. 



Whoa. A word which is the only safeguard in many 

 cases of accident. It should never be used in the education or 

 handling of horses, excepting when the horse is in motion, 

 and you wish him to stop. Do not use it generally, and on 

 every occasion — as on entering the horse's stall and you wish 

 him to stand over, or when harnessing him and he is restive. 

 For all these instances have other and significant words ; but 

 have the horse so educated that when you are driving, in case 

 the rein, or bit, or breeching strap should break, or anything 

 else be out of place, he would instantly stop at the word 

 "whoa." It is not difficult to so teach him, and when under 

 complete discipline in this respect his value is increased ten- 

 fold for all road, driving or speed purposes. In the old days' 

 of racing some drivers taught their horses to increase their 

 speed at the loud shouting of the words "whoa, whoa!" (for 

 the purpose of breaking up other horses on the back stretch), 

 but the days of such methods in driving have, happily, passed 

 away forever. 



Win in a Canter. An easy finish in a running race. 

 To " win in a canter " is to so far distance the other horses in 

 the field, that urging at the end of the race is needless, and 

 one can come home at an easy jog. 



Winners' Handicap. Weights for a race of winning 

 horses. Thus, the winning horses of previous races being 

 pitted together in a race royal, are first handicapped according 

 to their respective merits ; the horse that has won three races 

 has to carry a greater weight than the horse that has won 

 only two; and this latter more than its competitor, who is 

 winner of a single race only. 



Winning a Heat. In heats of one, two, three or four 

 miles, a horse not winning one heat in three cannot start 



