THE PROGRESS OF THE TURF IN FRANCE. 
501 
rapidly as they did forty years ago ; and yet the coachman now 
rarely uses his whip, while at that time the poor horses were so 
shamefully punished, that one whip scarcely lasted through a 
single stage. 
After this comparative statement of facts, I do not hesitate to 
acknowledge, that he who is not satisfied with the service ren- 
dered by the English horse at the present moment, does not 
know either that which he ought to exact or does obtain from 
him, or, in fact, does not know any thing about horses. 
I abstain from long reasonings on this subject, and will not 
enter into any useless theoretical discussion ; I will content 
myself with stating a few facts in reply to the question with 
which I started, and leave it to better exercised pens to draw the 
legitimate consequences. 
I say, then, that since the introduction of races on the con- 
tinent, all our studs possess far more valuable stallions and mares 
than they did before; and it is since the establishment of these 
contests of strength and speed that horse knowledge has been 
based on positive facts, and not on vain theories. 
The experience and the trials of the horse that have been made 
in consequence of these races have caused us to know and to 
recognize the best breeds. We have searched into the history 
of past ages — we have examined the annals of each successive 
race of horses — and we have discarded the prejudice by which 
we, among others, were once led astray: we no longer judge of 
a horse by his exterior appearance alone, but by the quality of his 
blood, the fame of his ancestors, and his own inherent qualities. 
These races have made us adopt a better system of training 
the colt. He has more abundant food, and of a better kind. He 
is more regularly and strongly exercised, and his education is far 
more simple in its object, and much better followed up. Formerly, 
horses were kept to the age of five years without being scarcely 
employed ; they were enervated by our care : at present they are 
taken into exercise at two years old, and that favours the develop- 
ment of their muscles and tendons, and gives previously unknown 
vigour to every native faculty of the animal. 
vol. x. 3 T 
