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be certain whether the sire or dam were speedy, strong, faulty 

 or liable to transmit any defects that would in after life mar 

 his chances of being a breadwinner. 



There are strains that inherit blindness, and this often 

 creeps out in the fourth or fifth generation. I have known 

 instances where this defect cropped out half a hundred years 

 later. Many of the owners of these horses that became blind 

 never knew what caused it and had them in the hands of a 

 veterinary for months at a great expense to cure it, when in 

 reality it was a hereditary taint in the blood, and some of 

 their remote ancestors were afflicted in this way and handed 

 it down to posterity. 



Of course, a colt with all these natural and perceptible 

 accomplishments will command a good price and he can not 

 be bought for a song, but it is better to have one good horse 

 in a stable than two dozen bad ones. The former will earn 

 money enough to pay for his keep, and the chances are that 

 the poor ones will not win a race often enough to keep them 

 in corn. That is why I say to a man, "Buy a good horse.'' 



Now, there are exceptions to every rule, and some of 

 the best horses of the past century were sorry-looking 

 yearlings and brought next to nothing. Men bought them 

 and raced them and won with them ; but this is not the gen- 

 eral rule. A blind hog is apt to stumble upon an acorn in 

 the forest, but his chances are very poor, and the wideawake, 

 active, hustling hog is apt to get all there is in the way of 

 eating. 



But get a good horse, and then the mind naturally turns 

 upon how to break him and put him in training to become 

 useful. 



Put a halter on him first and lead him about. Then 

 when he has become somewhat accustomed to this a bridle 

 should be placed on him. Again, he should be led about. 

 Then a pad should be girded on his back, not tight enough 

 to hurt him, but just enough to keep it in place. The idea 

 of this is to get him used to having something on his back 

 without being frightened. 



About two days later a groom should go into the stable 

 and take hold of the horse's head. Then the bov who is 

 going to break him should be brought in and he should catch 

 hold of the mane, pat the horse on the sides and lean against 



