102 CONDITION AGAINST WEIGHT. 



dependent of this, I am quite satisfied, that, figura- 

 tively speaking, the more they run the better they 

 run unless they are put in too good company, and 

 then the more they run the worse they run. 1 really 

 consider winning a race or two with comparative ease 

 to be to a race-horse what blood is to a fox-hound, 

 and am quite clear the being often beat dispirits 

 them as much as it does their owners. 



What I have been saying in the last page or two 

 has nothing to do certainly with the effect of '" weight 

 on horses," but it has with " other weighty effects as 

 applied" to them, so is still in accordance with the 

 heading of these Papers ; for though weight tells 

 heavily, there are other things tell equally so, and 

 one more — this is, condition. A horse may win with 

 overweight ; he can't win without condition ; he may, 

 and often does, win on three legs ; but he can't win 

 in three parts' condition. Witness Harkaway at 

 Wolverhampton. But we will now return to the 

 effect of weight. 



I have stated that tlie being accustomed to carry 

 weight greatly increases the power of doing so ; 

 partly from those parts of the frame most called upon 

 getting accustomed to its pressure, but still more from 

 a horse learning how to go under weight with the 

 greatest ease to himself. Let us see whether the 

 accustoming a race-horse to go under such weight as 

 he may be expected to race with would not be advan- 

 tageous to him. I do not presume so far as to say it 

 would be ; and I am quite sure that trainers, without 

 giving the thing a moment's consideration, would say 

 " it would not ; " and some of them could probably 

 give no better reason for saying this so decisively 

 than " they don't know why, but they are sure it 



