GENERAI, OBSERVATIONS. V 



year and the state of the ground — never run less than four and 

 a half nor more than seven furlongs ; shorter races ruin their 

 temper more than those over longer distances, in which the 

 pace from the beginning is not so severe nor the start of so 

 much consequence. 



Whiiever has had frequent opportunities for observing in a 

 racing-stable the development of two-year-old horses will, as 

 a rule, have noticed an evident change about the middle of 

 summer. They (juite suddenly lose their foal-like appearance 

 and become yonng horses. In general this alteration takes 

 place at the same time as the shedding of the two middle teeth ; 

 all at once the youngsters are better able to resist the wear and 

 tear of training and improve as the work agrees with them. 

 Of course this change does not occur simultaneously in all two- 

 year-olds, although they may be equally well reared ; neverthe- 

 less I have noticed at this period a greater degree of evenness 

 in the development of late and earlier foals than seemed war- 

 ranted, considering the diiference in their respective ages. 



As, however, at midsummer the ground frequently is too 

 hard to admit of good work being done with two-}'ear-olds 

 without danger to their legs, I would advocate that the prinei- 

 ]5al races for horses of that age should not take place before the 

 autumn, when owners who have judiciously saved their voung 

 animals during the summer may indemnify themselves through 

 richer prizes than were offered for competition in the earlier 

 part of the season. 



In principle I do not disapprove of running two-year-olds ; 

 on the contrary, I take it, if done in moderation, to be an un- 

 erring means to ascertain the soundness of the constitution. 

 From midsummer — say first of August — I look upon such 

 races, according to the degree of development in the individual 

 horses, as useful ; care must, however, be taken not to overdo 

 it, especially with fillies, whose temper is more excitable than 

 that of colts. I have generally noticed that mares which cred- 

 itably stood the test of two-year-old training also proved them- 

 selves superior at the stud. Taking, for instance, the most suc- 

 cessful brood-mares during the twenty years from 1860 to 1879, 



