FINDON UNDER GOATER 53 



horses that stronger men could do nothing with 

 went kindly enough for him. 



Those were days when good jockeys were 

 plentiful. Of course a few riders stood out by 

 reason of their superlative abilities, but the 

 general average of excellence was unquestionably 

 higher than it has been of late years. It is really 

 deplorable that during the last two decades we 

 have had to go to America and Australia for our 

 best jockeys. I remember the time when, if I 

 had a horse good enough to run for the Derby 

 I could find twenty jockeys good enough to 

 ride him. Why was that ? It was because 

 jockeys had then had years of experience 

 before they arrived at the weight at which we 

 now start. 



In my opinion apprentices do not get the 

 encouragement they should receive. Owners 

 ought to back up the efforts of their trainers in 

 ** schooling ** boys. There is no lack of boys 

 who can ride well; it is the opportunity they 

 require. We fiddle too much on two or three 

 strings. The advantage derived from utilising 

 the services of apprentices attached to the stable 

 is too frequently overlooked. It should not be 

 forgotten that these youths are under the personal 

 supervision of the trainer, that they are riding 

 the horses daily, and are thus gaining a know- 

 ledge of their peculiarities. It is most essential 

 to ** know '* a horse in order to get the best out 



