loo The Chase 



wholesomest, but I say, let it be clover hay, because 

 the horse likes it best ; give him through summer 

 and winter, once a v^^eek, a pailful of bran-mash, 

 cold in summer and in winter hot ; ride him gently 

 about the neighbourhood every day, by which means 

 you will give exercise to yourself and horse, and, 

 moreover, have the satisfaction of exhibiting your- 

 self and your horse to advantage, and hearing, per- 

 haps, the men say what a fine horse, and the ladies 

 saying what a fine man : never let your groom 

 mount your horse, as it is ten to one, if you do, 

 your groom will be wishing to show ofF before 

 company, and will fling your horse down. I was 

 groom to a gemman before I went to the inn at 

 Hounslow, and flung him down a horse worth 

 ninety guineas, by endeavouring to show ofF before 

 some ladies that I met on the road. Turn your 

 horse out to grass throughout May and the first 

 part of June, for then the grass is sweetest, and the 

 flies don't sting so bad as they do later in the 

 summer ; afterwards merely turn him out occasion- 

 ally in the swale of the morn and the evening ; 

 after September the grass is good for little, lash and 

 slur at best ; every horse should go out to grass, 

 if not his blood becomes full of greasy humours, 

 and his wind is apt to become affected, but he 

 ought to be kept as much as possible from the heat 

 and flies, always got up at night, and never turned 

 out late in the year — Lord ! if I had always such a 

 nice attentive person to listen to me as you are, I 

 could go on talking about 'orses to the end of time." 



George Borrow. 



