130 THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS. 
recommend them but lumps of fat. It is forgotten that a 
man can only work to the best of his ability with such tools 
as are supplied to him. 
Now a good useful-looking yearling, with plenty of bone 
and strength in proportion, may often be bought for a 
moderate sum of a breeder who prefers to sell at home, who 
does not stall-feed, and whose yearlings have their liberty 
in the paddock from the day almost of foaling until the 
hour they are sold. A case of this sort I may give that 
happened to me some time ago. Whilst looking over Mr. 
Harrison’s breeding establishment ‘in the North, I saw three 
rough-looking colts galloping in his paddock, and in reply 
to my inquiry as to their price, was told they would be sold 
at York that week; but as I could not stay for the sale I 
made a conditional offer for them of 4500, supposing they 
were not sold. They were put up, but not sold; their rough, 
hardy appearance, telling against them side by side with 
other yearlings got up for sale, as I have described. After 
the sale I received a telegram: ‘“ Horses not sold; please 
send for them.” I did so, and the three were Starter, Fudge, 
and Steward; either of the first two being worth double 
what I gave for the three, both proving to be the winners of 
many races. These colts had no glossy coats and very little 
flesh; but they were perfectly healthy, and their health and 
appearance the result of play in the paddock, where they 
galloped a great part of each day. 
Colts like these, when put in training, improve just as fast 
as the fat ones go back. The fat ones become thin, whilst 
he thin ones become comparatively fat, and in the follow- 
tig year the latter are in much better condition, with muscle 
fore fully developed than the others which previously looked 
fa,much better. Nor can anything else be expected. The 
