EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 43 



and brush him out, as he will look better in the morning, but 

 it is much better for your horse to let him alone when you 

 once get him done up. Then in the morning give him his 

 usual grooming. 



I will mention the bay mare, Flora F., record, 2:24^. I 

 bought her as a yearling solely on her pedigree, as she was 

 well bred and prospective speed, was all I had to depend 

 upon. I broke her the winter when she was coming two years 

 old, which I consider the proper time to break a colt to har- 

 ness. They should not be let go longer than that, as they 

 are so much easier broken at that age before they get big and 

 strong. It is not necessary to work them, but give them les- 

 sons single and double, and they will not forget it even if you 

 let them run for a year after that. Flora F. had always paced 

 in the lot, but when I commenced breaking her she struck 

 out on a trot, would occasionally break into a pace, but would 

 show no speed, not even a good road gait either way — pace or 

 trot. After breaking her I turned her out when spring came 

 in a pasture. She would show wonderful flights of sj^ed on 

 a trot, turned loose. In fact, any time during the summer if 

 I would go in the lot and stir her up, she- would go acro.ss the 

 lot flying, she seemed to have forgotten how to pace. When 

 fall came I took her up, shod her, and coinmenced to use her. 

 The harness seemed to lock her up, she could not go a bit — 

 went blundering along knocking one foot out of the way with 

 the other ; I used her all that winter, driving her two or three 

 times a week, but with no perceivable improvement, in fact, 

 there were days I would have almost given her away. When 

 spring came I used her a short time and turned her out again, 

 let her run all summer ; she was the same trotter in the past- 

 ure as the year before — could show speed and was good 

 gaited. In the fall I took her up, shod her, and commenced 

 driving her again, but with no improvement. I don't believe 

 she could show a five-minute gait during that winter ; went 

 very, stiflf-leged in front, in fact, did not seem to have any 

 knee joint, and went very wide behind. I used a pound shoe 



