370 THE HORSE 



If a horse exhibits signs of distress in its gallop, altering 

 its stride, and beginning to sob in its breathing, it should 

 be at once pulled up. 



Now that all races on the flat are started by use of the 

 " gate " it might be thought that the practice would be uni- 

 versal of so accustoming the animals to it they would take 

 little notice of it ; yet many trainers are averse to this, and 

 allege that some horses take more and more dislike to it, 

 the oftener they see it. Horses are full of whims, and what 

 is sauce for the goose is not always sauce for the gander ! 

 But a very painstaking and successful trainer has kindly 

 given me his views, and with most horses the plan he 

 advocates should assuredly answer. He writes : — 



" Jumping a horse off under the machine is exactly what 

 should not be done. That makes them nervous and afraid 

 to stand up to the machine. My plan is, and I have never 

 found it fail, simply to walk the horses round the machine 

 on the days they are not to do any galloping. Occasionally 

 I pull up the machine and make them walk under it. Then 

 when they are thoroughly familiar with the apparatus, which 

 may take a few days, I line them up, and trot them off 

 under it. After another few visits I canter them under, and 

 so they gradually get to know what you want, and have no 

 fear of it." 



Another trainer, who has adopted the plan of allowing his 

 horses to graze for a few minutes after their gallop, takes 

 care to have them at once trotted to the machine and pulled 

 up close to it, when the boys lead them all round, and under 

 it, at intervals, whilst they are picking a few mouthfuls of 

 grass ; and the precaution is taken to change the position of 

 the apparatus fairly often, that the horses may recognise it 

 wherever placed, and connect the machine with the act of 

 grazing. Care and trouble are never thrown away, and 

 though success may not always be achieved, it can at any 

 rate be deserved. A great disadvantage of our system of 

 starting horses at a stand, drawn up in line, is that the quiet, 

 docile horse, who will stand quietly while the others are 

 fretting and refusing to come into their places, is at a disad- 

 vantage when the start takes place. Almost directly a horse 



