86 ESSAYS ON HORSE SUBJECTS 



ing too well while you are cultivating his mouth, 

 for, if his spirits are too exuberant, he will not 

 learn so fast, and is apt to fight and increase his 

 chances of developing bad habits. In cases in 

 which action contributes to a horse's value, he 

 must also look well. Without being too gross, 

 he should be in full flesh; it should be well put 

 on, and there is nothing like a lot of slow work 

 for this. From an hour to two hours' walking 

 exercise every day will make the flesh look solid 

 and give a finish which a horse merely fattened 

 up without work never shows. Slow work, if a 

 horse gets a sufficiency of good feed and proper 

 grooming, will not prevent the accumulation of 

 flesh as fast work does, and it keeps the manners 

 of the individual good. The development of 

 speed in trotting-bred horses is a slow process 

 with many of them. It takes several years in 

 some individuals to bring it to its zenith. This 

 is in a measure also true of action, if we look to 

 perfecting it. A good deal can be accomplished 

 in a couple of months with some horses, but much 

 more can be attained in two years. We have 

 examples of horses well known in the show rings 

 of this country to-day that have gone on improv- 

 ing in brilliance of style and action for years. 

 Bitting and conditioning are the chief contribu- 

 ting factors. 



The practical man who is conditioning and de- 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



