24 EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 



first thing to be looked to is to see that he is properly shod 

 and balanced on his feet. I favor useing a shoe as light as 

 possible, which balances and keeps your colt pure gaited and 

 on a trot. There is hardly two horses that want shoeing just 

 alike ; some colts want a good deal of weight to get them 

 going. 



Wonderful improvements have been made with the use 

 of toe weights, but they are used many times when they are 

 a detriment to the horse. Experimenting with them is the 

 only test. Many times a horse will go better with the weight 

 on the bottom of the foot — all of it in the shoe — and others 

 will improve faster with a pound weight — twelve ounces of it 

 in the shoe and four ounces in a toe weight. Some require 

 more weight than that. I have known a four-year-old who 

 carried a one and one-half pound shoe and a one and one-half 

 pound toe weight on each foot, and Ije could not go a bit with- 

 out them for some time ; that weight seemed to get him 

 going, so that in a short time he went without any toe weight. 

 When I campaigned him through the Grand Circuit I used a 

 nineteen ounce shoe on him and no toe weight, trotting him 

 two mile heats. That horse was Amber ; record, 4:52, two 

 miles, and 2:25, one mile. He could trot in 2:20. So you 

 can see that wonderful improvements have been made by the 

 use of toe weights. 



I want to impress on you that in my experience many 

 horses can, after they are gaited, leave off their toe weights, 

 and they will go faster, further and stay sound longer. 



Many colts or horses when you first go out to work them 

 are a little high strung, or are double-gaited, that is, are in- 

 clined to pace. It would be well to use a toe weight the first 

 heat, after that remove your weight or lighten it. If you are 

 useing a four ounce, put on a two ounce or remove it alto- 

 gether, and many times you will find your colt going much 

 better, that is faster, without the weight than with it. 



If you are preparing your colt for a race, great care should 

 be used not to give him too much work, that is not to give 



