FIRST-HAND BITS OF STABLE LORE 



The " thoroughbred " and the " old " are quite 

 matter-of-course, since no mongrel and no baby 

 can do a well-bred man's work ; but there is 

 much significance in the " little " part of it, — 

 probably under 15.2 in contradistinction to the 

 huge beasts that buyers will seek for, whether 

 for hacking, hunting, or steeplechasing. What 

 is there about a big horse that is so valuable? 

 Does the elephant carry weight proportionate to 

 his bulk and tallness ? Surely not. And does 

 not the flea jump many times his own height ? 

 The big horse has generally proved a failure at 

 steeplechasing ; our cramped and almost circular 

 courses are all against him and his long stride, 

 and the fences come too close together. Again, 

 if he hits one of them — at the pace our cross- 

 country events are run — he jars himself to 

 pieces, and if once off his stride, he is apt to drop 

 right out of it. He is also harder on his legs, 

 and consequently more difficult to get thoroughly 

 fit than a smaller animal ; he does not carry 

 weight any better; he adds to his prospective 

 handicap imposts because the handicapper cannot 

 forget that he looks big and able ; he does n't 

 make the fences look smaller, because some of 

 them are of miniature proportions now ; he de- 



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