EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 63 



know or don't care to have anything more to do with a horse ; 

 will leave that to the boys. They don't seem to think it is 

 necessary to know anything about the business of cpndition- 

 ing or careing for their horses, when the fact is, that success 

 in the business depends wholly in taking care of your horse 

 before and after his work. No man can succeed with a stable 

 unless he spends a greater part of his time with his horses. 

 There is nothing I enjoy or think is more necessary than to 

 hang about the stable, see the boys cool out the horse, do 

 him up and put him away for the night, and then be there 

 early in the morning to see how my hoise comes out. If the 

 horse is not right, then I know who is to blame — it is the 

 horse, not the hoys — and I say to myself and the owner when 

 I see him, " Your horse won't stand quite so stiff work ; I am 

 in doubt a little about that fellow, we have got to make a 

 change. When it comes his turn to be worked again we won't 

 work him quite so stiff. To-day I gave him three stiff heats, 

 but next time I shall try giving him four instead of three 

 heats, but not so fast, as it is the rate of speed that tells on 

 many horses, and I think we better bottle that speed for a 

 killing day and keep it." In about three days I work him 

 again. This horse, we will say, could trot in 2:20, and I had 

 worked him three heats — 2:28, 2:26 and 2:24 — ^the next morn- 

 ing he would appear a little muscle sore and care worn, is a 

 little tucked up in the flank, perhaps he did not take his break- 

 fast with a relish. 



The next time I worked him I gave him a heat in 2:37, 

 second one in 2:35, third 2:33^, and the last or fourth mile in 

 2:3 If ; stayed about the stable until he was thoroughly cooled 

 out and done up, and on the following morning was at the 

 stable before feeding time and had him led out of the stall 

 and walked a bit. I found he appeared better, that he was 

 bright and cheerful, walked up promptly and when he was put 

 back in his stall was ready for his breakfast and ate it as 

 though he enjoyed it. The .fact is a horse will stand nearly as 

 much again' work in a race with other horses than he will to 



