142 EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 



could win this heat, how easy I could win the next one with 

 a good send off, so I will lay this heat up and just drop inside 

 of the flag." By doing so you give your horse an easy heat 

 and prepare him to trot three good heats later on. A man 

 should know whether his horse goes the easiest in the lead or 

 trailing, as many horses when ahead take a strong hold of the 

 bit and it shuts him up in the britchin, which interferes with 

 his stifle action or shuts off his wind, perhaps both. A half 

 mile in this way would take more out of him- than two heats 

 ought to if he had dropped back and trailed some one or tv^'o 

 horses until he got into the stretch and then made the drive. 

 You will find something left for a finish that in the other 

 case you would have taken out of your horse at the half-mile 

 pole. It is always well to pick out your own road and see 

 that you have clear sailing and not wait for someone to pull 

 out of your way. 



Then again, in case of a horse of a slack temperament, it 

 is better for you and them to be on the lead if you can get 

 it, as they require some hurrah and excitement to keep them 

 going and will trot a good heat or race for you in that posi- 

 tion ; when, if you get away trailing they seem to be discour- 

 aged and faint hearted, and when you call on them for a brush 

 at the finish they seem to say, " I can't, I can't," and they 

 won't try, and when you go at them with the whip or other- 

 wise they will make a lobster of a break and it is all up with 

 them for that heat, and perhaps the race. * With some horses 

 it is necessary to commence to drive when they say " Go," 

 and keep at them all the way in order to get a good heat out 

 of them, when if you let them go away easy within them- 

 selves they would go the whole heat that way, and they 

 would not seem to rally or could not any rod of the route. I 

 have seen horses lose heats and races in 2:30 when they were 

 actually able to trot in 2:24 or 2:25 by being driven in this 

 way, that is to say, with an easy disposition man like them- 

 selves, when at the same time another man could take them 

 that the boys call an industrious hustler, and he would get 



