INTELLIGENT TRAINERS. 43 



a logical foundation. Mere assertions, however, will not force me 

 to suri-ender convictions, and tlie ipse dixit of the most celebrated 

 professors has little weight if not sustained by proof of the sound- 

 ness of the objections. If I find that the horses I have tried are 

 benefited by the change from shoes to tips, it is fair to infer that 

 others in like circumstances will also find a corresponding advantage ; 

 and though to prove the absolute improvement, all kinds will have to 

 be tested, the chances are favorable that the good results to the few 

 augur well for the success of the plan to the many. 



Notwithstanding the efforts of breeders to intensify the fast trotting 

 gait, and in which they have succeeded beyond the faith of the most 

 sanguine, it is, nevertheless, in very fast trotting easily subject to 

 changes which are inimical to improvement. There is a tendency, as 

 all trainers know, to forsake the true trotting step, and " singlefoot " 

 and "hitch'' and "scramble," and pei-haps one or more of a dozen 

 things which prevent further improvement. The animal may I'etain 

 its square action, and yet step so short that it cannot go fast, regard- 

 less of how rapid the stroke may be ; or it may stride so long as to 

 " dwell," and in this case there is usually a deficiency of " knee- 

 action." 



Intelligent trainers are aware that all of these things may be par- 

 tially remedied^ in many cases entirely overcome, by a change in the 

 shoeing — still more by the wearing ' of weights and boots ; and yet 

 there are animals Avhich persist in the faulty action, despite of all the 

 appliances of ancient or modern days. I have faith that more can 

 be accomplished with different varieties of tips, especially when colts 

 are the pupils, but there may be individuals which will demand the 

 application of the full shoe to counteract the faulty action which the 

 animal persists in, though used with many diffei'ent styles of tips. 



The necessity for a full shoe for trotting horses which have a short- 

 ness of stride, or a tendency to forsake the true action may arise, 

 although thus far I have not found it so in my i:)ractice, though that 

 has been confined to a few animals, and those of a kind which I 

 would consider the most likely to be benefited by the gi'eater weight 

 in the shoe. The horse I have experimented the most with is X. X., 

 the colt alluded to in previous chapters as having been used on the 



