IV 



society, and tlie one cliosen was " Hand fast." I have held tena- 

 ciously to the belief in the efficacy of thoroughbred blood in the trot- 

 ter for fully twenty-five years, and now the grandaughter of a 

 thoroughbred mare occupies the highest place in the record with 

 others of the same degree of consanguinity to tlie royal blood close 

 up in the calendar. 



After these seven years' experience with tips, the grip has grown 

 firmer, tightening with every successive trial, practice so fully demon- 

 strating the correctness of the theory that nature is a correct tutor, 

 that I hold fast as confidently as in the other illustration. In order 

 to do so it was fortunate that I had a few horses of my own to ex- 

 periment with ; and though forced to offer apologies for making them 

 so conspicuous, it was compulsory that the prominence should be 

 given. Had there been others interested it is not likely that the 

 tests would have been made so thorough. It is probable that a want of 

 harmony would have prevailed, and a difference of opinion interfered. 



That thei'e has been fair success in the way of trotting speed I 

 think is evident. The only colts I have trained in California to ti'ot 

 have been five of my own breeding. Three of these were foaled 

 East, two hei-e. Four of them have shown trials better than 2:40 

 when three and four years old, the other trotted in 3:02 when a year- 

 ling. With the exception of the yearling, the fastest work was done 

 in tips, the excejjtion being barefooted. This training has been inci- 

 dental to my other avocations, and hence not as thorough as I could 

 have wished. ' 



The point has been raised that trotting the yearling barefooted was 

 an admission on my part of a want of confidence in the system ad- 

 vocated. The reasons for trotting him barefooted are given in his 

 history, though this is unnecessaiy to show the absurdity of the 

 charge. 



As light tips set in the manner described is the nearest approach 

 to leaving the foot bare, it is manifest to the simplest understanding 

 that the benefits of one will be shared by the other. There is so 

 nearly the same " spring " in the foot, when the tip does not extend 

 farther back than the point of the frog, that this valuable pro[ierty 

 is retained, and the frog-pressure is identical in both. 



