To teach a colt the true trot, the reins should not be held slack as in walking, but should be well gathered up to make the animal place his hind legs well under him, and also cause him to lift his fore limbs higher, thus giving him knee action; the great beauty and comfort in the trot being free action, and as an extreme pace is not required, comfort and looks are placed in the scale against flying speed. The animal should be urged forward by voice, heel, or spur, at the same time being [71] ]kept in check by the bit; he is thus forced to expend his increased exertions in the air, or in other words, he will trot with higher action, although his speed will be little or no faster than before. He should not be trotted more than half a mile at a time, but whilst trotting must do so in his best form, and when walked between his trots, he must do that also in his best style.
What I have already said under the head of walking, with reference to the time to be occupied daily in teaching a colt his paces, applies equally to the trot and other paces, for a colt, if tired, cannot be taught his paces, and will only be spoilt if persevered with when fatigued; therefore make him do his best all the time, at whatever different paces he is put, but avoid tiring him.
The off fore-leg is the best to teach him to lead off with; but some horses go easier, and with more comfort to their riders, when leading with the near fore; therefore I do not think a rule can be laid down as to which is invariably [72] ]the best, but after having ridden the colt a little time you will soon find out which way he goes best, for I think it a pity, if he goes best with his near fore first, just for the sake of fashion, to alter it to the off fore; for although it is easy to teach him to lead with the off leg, it will never have the same easy and free motion it had when using the near, which in this particular case nature seemed to have intended for that purpose. Again, some horses will trot equally well with either leg leading. If the colt is being taught for a lady’s riding, he must lead with his off fore-leg.
The Canter.—By some writers the canter is described as a thoroughly artificial pace, but why, I am unable to understand. The true canter is nothing more than a slow gallop, as is the gallop an extended and fast canter, the difference between the two paces being a matter of speed. If the style of movement of some ladies’ horses which go with a sort of hop and a shuffle, which is generally termed a canter, is the canter alluded to by these [73] ]authors, then I acknowledge it is an artificial pace, and one very tiring to the animal as well as very prejudicial to his soundness, and, to my mind, very ugly to boot. If ladies must ride rocking-horses, they would be much better supplied with wooden ones, which could be kept at much less cost, requiring neither food, shoeing, nor grooming, whilst the wear and tear of the habit would be much reduced, owing to the lack of mud thrown up. Luckily we seldom see one of these hopping, shuffling brutes, which by some are supposed to be the perfection of a lady’s horse.
The colt is taught to canter by urging him forward, the meanwhile restraining him with the bit. In the canter as in the trot, true action is required, and for the same reason, namely, that speed not being requisite, comfort and beauty of pace take its place, which can only be accomplished by having the hind legs well drawn under the body, and the knees well elevated and flexed. If the colt is for a gentleman to ride, I do not think it matters which [74] ]fore-leg he leads with, for, as in the trot, some animals lead better with one than the other; but if for a lady, the colt should always be taught to lead with his off fore, which is done by drawing his head a little to the near side, at the same time striking him with the whip on the same side.
The Gallop is an extension or exaggeration of the canter, the limbs not being elevated so much as in the canter, but extended to a greater extent, whilst the abdomen is brought nearer to the ground. For ordinary galloping the colt requires no teaching; only give him his head, and urge him forward fast enough, and he will gallop. For racing purposes the colt must be taught to make the most of his gallop; but as this is not a treatise on training, and as the racing colt acquires his education under the supervision of his trainer, I shall not enter further into the subject.
[75]
]CHAPTER V.
THE ROAD HACK.
HIS CONFORMATION—THE LADIES’ HORSE—ROTTEN ROW—THE COVERT HACK—THE HUNTER—FOR AN OPEN COUNTRY—FOR A CRAMPED COUNTRY—MADE HUNTERS—PLEASURES OF A PULLING HORSE—BREAKING IN A COLT TO HOUNDS—‘CAN HE LEAP?’—NATURAL JUMPERS—ARTIFICIAL FENCES—LIFTING HORSES AT THEIR FENCES—AN INCIDENT—WATER JUMPS—HOW TO FALL WELL—HIGH-COURAGED VERSUS SLUGGISH HORSES—WASHING HORSES’ LEGS—MUD FEVER—STOPPING HORSES’ FEET—MICROSCOPIC EXPERIMENTS—ENGLISH RACERS IN AUSTRALIA AND INDIA—PARING HORSES’ FEET—COLTS SHEDDING THEIR TEETH—COMPOSITION OF BONE—TWO-YEAR-OLD RACING—PRIZE-FIGHTERS—EARLY MATURITY AND EARLY DECAY—FAMOUS AMERICAN TROTTERS: TOPGALLANT, LADY BLANCHE, DUTCHMAN, AJAX, FLORA TEMPLE, LADY THORN, GOLDSMITH MAID, DEXTER, AMERICAN GIRL—RACING NOW-A-DAYS A MONEY-MAKING BUSINESS.