TRAINERS OF DERBY AND OTHER HORSES. 103 



i'asliion, and, as has been hinted, every horse was 

 treated much after the same fashion. That gentleman 

 thought out new modes for himself, and taught his 

 brothers to know that individual horses diftered as 

 much as do individual men and women, some having 

 inordinate appetites, and some being poor feeders ; 

 some horses requiring much more work in training 

 than others need. Mr. Dawson's teachimys have borne 

 good fruit : one of his brothers being lately at the head 

 of his business, having a cjreat establishment and a 

 big string of horses, with undoubtedly a . capable 

 knowledge of his art, never perhaps evinced to 

 greater advantage than in bringing Melton to the 

 post (1885) in a condition to win the ' Blue Eibbon of 

 the Turf.' The system of training now adopted by 

 intelligent trainers is no doubt founded on experience, 

 and is being gradually improved upon. When a horse 

 is being prepared for a particular race, he is allowed 

 plenty of excellent food, and is 'galloped' a mile or a 

 mile and a half, as the case may be, once a day, at a 

 daily increasing rate of speed, or it may happen that 

 he is sent loncjer distances, according to the state of 

 the particular training-ground on which he is pre- 

 pared. The trainer of the hoise is of course present 

 to see him do his work, scanning keenly the animal's 

 every movement, and if the horse's legs be under 

 suspicion he will feel extreme anxiety till the animal 

 is again all right in his box. Another morning of 

 anxiety comes to the trainer when the horse has to 

 be formally tried with ' something good ' for the race 

 for which he is being prepared. That well over, ' the 

 stable ' will begin to think victory within its reach , 



