72 EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 



water away from him in excess of his regular allowance, which 

 I had learned he needed. This horse had to have his hay and 

 water restricted the day before a race, as he was a very hearty 

 horse and required a good deal of feed to keep him strong. 

 We know there is a great difference between horses in feeding 

 to keep them in condition. I have heard it remarked in 

 human labor that a big heavy eater was sluggish and was not 

 able to do as good a day's work as a more nervous, active 

 light eater. I really think this applies to a horse as well ;'but 

 when he was thoroughly prepared he was a race horse of the 

 first water and had a good rugged constitution man to drive 

 him. These are a class of horses that I do not like as race 

 horses as they are hard to condition and hard to drive, but 

 this was an exception, for I liked this big horse because he 

 would always get some of the money and would generally win 

 if he was not outclassed too much. He would, if right, get 

 the largest end of the money before the sun went down. I 

 really think he could keep his clip as far if not farther than 

 any horse I ever had. You could commence to drive him 

 when they said go and keep at him the whole mile and if you 

 did not get tired he would not. I had to keep hold of his 

 head all the time, keep lifting, fishing, tapping him with the 

 whip, first in one place, then in another, and occasionally a 

 rap with the rein would seem to touch him in a new place ; at 

 times would run the reins backwards and forwards across his 

 hip as though I was going to take both reins in one hand, and 

 release the right hand so as to hit him harder with the whip; 

 that would make him. think I meant business, and he would 

 let out another link. But I did not dare to hit him too hard 

 or too many times in one place ; if I did he would sulk or 

 break — it would make him mad. In fact, a man had to work 

 his passage to drive this big horse, but as I said before, if the 

 driver did not weaken he would not. He won me a great 

 many hard fought races and a good pot of money and I re- 

 gard him to-day as a great stallion, though he was badly used 

 and not much thought of before I got him. 



