EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 151 



and light. A colt is turned loose in the ring, being perfectly 

 protected with boots, wearing quarter, shin and toe boots. 

 They are all shod light behind, which is necessary to keep a 

 toe boot on, but are not shod in front. A man stands at each 

 end of the oblong with a whip in his hand. The colt is allowed 

 to caper about for a few times around the ring, as many of 

 them are playful. Then he will strike a trot, and it is per- 

 fectly wonderful how those young things can fly around that 

 ring. They are allowed to go three or four times one way 

 and are then turned and sent the other way about the same 

 number of times. In that way they are worked fifteen or 

 twenty minutes. Occasionally ihey would stop and take a 

 puff or two and then on they would go. I really believe I 

 saw a yearling colt step close to a two-thirty gait for a little 

 ways as handily and perfectly gaited as an old trotter in har- 

 ness. After this work they are taken off and rubbed a little, 

 walked and cooled out, then a light blanket thrown over them 

 and their legs bandaged like an old horse, their feet picked 

 out and, in fact, taken as good care of as an old trotter. 

 Nothing is left undone for their comfort or benefit. These 

 youngsters are all broken to harness and occasionally, from 

 two to three times a week, are harnessed up and hitched first 

 to a skeleton wagon and driven on the track, just brushed a 

 little ways up and down the stretch, say from thirty to forty 

 rods, and then turned and brushed back sharp. This, is re- 

 peated three or four times, then they are taken in and cared 

 for as before mentioned. 



I saw a filly by Electioneer, dam by General Benton, not 

 yet eleven months' old, hitched to a skeleton wagon and 

 driven by Marvin, who is considerably over weight, step a 

 2:'10 gait sure, and as good gaited and behaved as any aged 

 horse. I think this was the greatest sight I ever saw in my 

 life as a horseman. In this way I was entertained for two 

 days with the youngsters. I saw a good many two and three 

 year olds that could step a 2:20 gait and better in harness. I 

 saw a gray mare, three years old, out of Electioneer, dam 



