THE FEET — PHYSIC. 121 



a fortnight, some of the beer-tonic, p. 148. Let 

 him, also, always now drink some warm gram 

 gruel, sweetened with a lump of ghoon, when 

 he comes in from his walk in the morning, and 

 a little also on return from his walk in the 

 evening. This simple treatment will benefit him 

 greatly ; and when the ribs are well covered, 

 the flesh on the quarter, and the belly of mo- 

 derate size, he may be called in condition ex- 

 ternally — a sort of dealers' condition, having 

 an appearance ready for sale, though, of course, 

 not ready to be violently galloped — one, how- 

 ever, which undoubtedly is far preferable when 

 making a purchase, to taking a skeleton, inas- 

 much as some few horses really do exist that 

 never can be made fat, and you would be so 

 far certain you had not got hold of one of these ; 

 besides, it is half the way to real condition, 

 and is a state you should always advance your 

 horse to before you attempt to put him in 

 condition internally ; for, by commencing Avork 

 too quickly before you have ascertained whether 

 there is any latent ailing about him requiring a 

 different course to be pursued, you may be thrown 

 back three or four months. 



