48 EVERY MAN IIIS OWN TRAINER. 



and well in hand, and if he appears to be gaited all right ease 

 away and let him go. I have often seen colts by removing 

 w^eights go a second or two faster than with them on, when 

 they would really need them in their warming up mile. After 

 they had been thoroughly warmed and muscles put in action 

 they could go faster without them. My aim is to not have a 

 colt or horse carry one ounce more weight than he is obliged 

 to, except what is necessary to protect the wall of his foot and 

 balance him. Perhaps this year he will want a different 

 check. He might want to be checked a little higher or a lit- 

 tle lovv/er. May be you will want to swap the overdraw for 

 the old-fashioned side check or Carlion ; perhaps vice versa. 

 That old saying, let well enough alone, will do in many cases, 

 but with a colt or horse some little change of this kind will 

 develop wonders. I have often seen some little change like 

 this improve a colt or horse as much as we see in exchanging 

 drivers. The bit we used on him three months ago does not 

 suit him now. He may froth at the mouth or shake his head 

 — it may be the bit, perhaps his teeth. They may have got 

 sharp and uneven. It will be well to have a horse dentist 

 look well to his mouth twice a year. Many times we are. im- 

 posed upon by the doctor we call, as he does not understand 

 his business, and he will do the colt more harm than good by 

 filing away too much of the teeth and break the enamel of 

 the tooth, making the teeth sore, and the colt will not cat as 

 much as before the job was done. But we find it very neces- 

 sary, and a good horse dentist can make a great improvement 

 in many horses' mouths, so much so that when you come to 

 drive them you will almost think you have traded horses. If 

 his lips get sore and peel off a little, the best thing you can 

 do is to cover his bit with a piece of pork rine, fleshy side out, 

 for it is necessary to have a good mouth and have confidence 

 in it, or a man makes awkward work driving him. The pork 

 rine will heal and toughen the mouth and is very eas)- ; it will 

 many times make almost a new mouth. Man)' good mouths 

 are made sore and spoiled b)' a driver having too much 



