96 HITTING THE NAIL ARIGHT. 



fact was, she had always been put in too good com- 

 pany ; and though in shape and make perfect, and a 

 little epitome of beauty, her owner feared four-year- 

 old weight would stop her : she was under fifteen 

 hands. I sent for an acquaintance of mine who loves 

 a little leather-plating, telling him the circumstances 

 that induced the owner to sell her, and venturing an 

 opinion, that, though a dwarf, she could go on. He 

 came and bought her, and last year at Southampton 

 Races he told me she had been one of the luckiest 

 little animals he ever had: adding, "at high weight I 

 was hardly ever beat on her." Her forte had never 

 been found out as a three-year-old ; and had she run 

 till Doomsday at light weights she would have been 

 at best a respectable third or fourth. I must add, 

 that the gentleman to whom I sold her trains and 

 rides for himself ; at least he rides at anything over 

 9st. The mare before had always been in public 

 training stables ; whether there had been less atten- 

 tion shown in one place than another, I do not feel 

 justified in giving an opinion upon. I merely state 

 facts — the mare hardly ever won a race under one 

 treatment, and hardly ever lost one under another. 



Trainers, giving them credit for the best intentions, 

 are very apt to have favourite habits, which they adhere 

 to in a great degree with all horses indiscriminately. 

 Some (not many) stuif their horses ; others half starve 

 them : some bring them out full high in flesh from want 

 of work ; others bring them to the post skeletons from 

 giving them too much. Some bring nearly every horse 

 out in such condition as a race-horse should be, but, what 

 is the greatest, I may say only, difficulty in training, 

 is the getting horses in such condition as each, particular 

 horse should be in ; which may be either Avith a good 



