EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 35 



before taking them back. You can save or take a good deal 

 out of a horse in scoring them. Learn them that when you 

 say "Whoa'' it means stop without shutting their wind off 

 by hard pulling to make them stop. Do not turn them 

 around every time at the same place ; sometimes stop them 

 soon after passing the wire, other times let them go well 

 around the turn, then they will cultivate the habit of keeping 

 up their clip until the word " Whoa '' is spoken, and will not 

 stop with you after you get the word. 



After you have learned him to score sufficiently I would 

 advise letting him up in work, jog him easily on the road, and 

 twice or three times a week, according to how he feels, brush 

 him through The stretch so as to keep him open and sharp ; 

 perhaps the scoring will be all he needs. You will have a 

 better colt than you would if you had kept up his stiff work 

 until the day of his race. Remember when the day of your 

 race arrives and you start that you have a colt not an old 

 horse and treat him accordingly. He won't bear smashing 

 around the track in his preliminary, as we see many a colt 

 trot his race before the word go is given. Take him out forty 

 minutes before the bell rings, jog him out easily, step him 

 along a half or a mile as your race may be. I would say if 

 your colt can trot in 2:40 give him a half or mile at the rate 

 of 3:20 ; then take him in, unharness him, remove his boots, 

 sponge him out, — in fact cool him out as you have done be- 

 fore when working him. When the bell rings put on your 

 boots and harness and go out. You will then find your colt 

 ready to step off a good heat for you without many prelimi- 

 naries or warming up. You have learned whether your colt 

 will get on his stride in going a short distance or whether he 

 requires a long score to straighten him out. It will be well to 

 turn your colt and let him come up by the stand once before 

 starting. That will open him out and he will be ready to go 

 up and turn and come down with his field of horses. Do not 

 annoy the judges or people by scoring up way ahead or be- 

 hind, but come up in your place as near as you can. That 



