EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 131 



fast, making the mile in about 2:38. I then removed his shoes 

 again and cut out two ounces more, put them back, drivino- 

 the nails in the same holes so as not to destroy the foot. I 

 keep on in this way changing his shoes, cutting out from one 

 and a half to two ounces, until I got them down to thirteen 

 ounces in weight. I would of course every week drive him a 

 little faster, but in this gradtial reduction he did not seem to 

 miss the weight, and at the end of six weeks he could pace a 

 mile in 2:25 as easy as any horse I ever saw, going the last 

 cjuarter in thirty-four or thirty-five seconds every time, and 

 never wanted to make a break or mis-step. I then threw 

 away the old shoes and put on a twelve ounce shoe in front 

 and eight ounces behind. In two weeks that shoe wore away 

 to ten and a half ounces, and he could pace a mile in 2:20, 

 the last quarter in thirty-three seconds. A man can develop 

 speed very fast with a heavy shoe or toe weight when neces- 

 sary to steady a horse if he will use judgment and not go too 

 far with him. Brush your horse just a little ways, say an 

 eighth of a mile, yet it would be good judgment to go the 

 full mile with an aged horse going the first seven-eights well 

 within himself, and brushing the last eighth out sharp. That 

 learns your horse to go the mile steady, staying on a pace or 

 trot, whichever the gait may be. It keeps him encouraged 

 and in perfect safety from injury in carrying heavy weight, 

 whereas if you attempt to drive him a fast mile you are in 

 danger of breaking him down and laming him, also gets him 

 tired and discouraged, and will make even a well-bred and 

 game horse a quitter. Many a good race horse has been 

 made a quitter by bad training. My motto has always been 

 to send a man's horse home as good as he came if I could not 

 improve him. We often hear the remark made that a cer- 

 tain trainer is too industrious and is afraid he won't earn his 

 salary unless he hones his horses every day. It would be 

 better for his horses if he had a lazy strain in his pedigree, 

 as a horse is better short of work than being over-trained. 

 We notice some times a rainy day or two makes a good deal 



