DEVELOP SPEED IN HORSES. 19 



CHAPTER VI 



FASTER WORK, REPEATS, ETC. 



About four weeks must have elapsed by this time, and 

 you can now begin to call on the horse for a brush occa- 

 sionally in his work. Don't brush him over a quarter 

 yet at a time, and not too often, and never up to the full 

 measure of his speed. Some horses will take more work 

 than others, but an ordinary well-bred horse ought to jog 

 out ten or twelve miles a day to a wagon in about an 

 hour without falling off any in appearance, condition or 

 feelings. After you commence to brush the horse along 

 in his daily work, your judgment ought to guide you as 

 to whether you are overworking him or not. 



I suppose you think you ought to give him a big scrape 

 now. Perhaps it is not necessary ; a neck sweat and 

 hood may reduce the throat and neck enough, and per- 

 haps he don't want any scrape of the body more than he 

 gets every day in his work yet a while. I will, further 

 on in the work, give you a scientific explanation of a 

 scrape, how to do it and what to do it for. It is about 

 time this horse had a half mile trial. If you have any 

 suspicion he will hit his knees, protect him. The night 

 before you give him the trial, give him about half the 

 amount of hay he ordinarily has and about two-thirds 

 the usual quantity of water ; in the morning give him two 

 quarts of oats at the usual time of feeding (we assume 

 you have been giving him his breakfast in one feed up to 

 this time) and no hay of any account. Give him a couple 

 or quarts of water when you go to the stable in the 

 morning, and after he has eaten his oats and a very little 

 hay let him have two or three swallows more. Hook 

 him up about ten o'clock, the food having had time to 

 assimilate, and jog him out five miles; then give him a 

 swallow of water, and give him a half mile, commencing 



