316 HORSE TRAINING 



the animal concludes his trotting for the year. Should he finish up fresh 

 and well, he may be kept in easy work, and only require attention lest he 

 lay on superfluous flesh, which will take trouble to get off when he comes 

 to work again in the spring. On the other hand, if the legs are stale, as 

 they probably will be, the horse may be put up in a loose-box with a 

 yard attached to it, his clothing being gradually removed until all has been 

 taken off, his winter coat being quite sufficient protection. He should be 

 shod with tips only, so that his heels will let down and expand, and if left 

 ungroomed he will take no harm. It is not desirable to turn him out, as 

 the exposure may injure his constitution, and the absence of regular feeding 

 will do him no good; added to which, he may injure his feet on the hard 

 ground when frosts come. Should blistering be necessary, keep him in the 

 stable on cooling food, in the company of other horses, during the ordeal; 

 and, when convalescent, place him in a loose-box, as recommended above, 

 keeping him on a moderately low diet, unless he has early spring engage- 

 ments ahead. Many trainers permit the horse to have a few hours in a 

 meadow on fine days, and this is no doubt beneficial in many cases. 



Beginning a New Season. When the time comes for training 

 again, it is advisable to proceed slowly, A mild dose or two of physic 

 should precede the course, but no attempt should be made to get flesh off 

 in a hurry, and therefore sweating and strong medicine should be avoided. 

 Neither should the internal organs and legs be overtaxed by overfeeding 

 and hard work at the commencement. Some people consider it desirable 

 that the winter coat should be clipped now, whilst others are of the 

 opinion that it should be allowed to come off naturally, the process not 

 being hastened by any artificial means. Perhaps a medium course is the 

 best of all, however, and the coat may be allowed to remain on until strong 

 work commences. After about ten days' slow work the horse may te 

 permitted to slip along, and when he comes in sweating he should first of 

 all be well scraped. Then he must be blanketed and walked about gently 

 to cool, after which he may be taken into the stable, given a little gruel 

 or chilled water, washed, dried, and bandaged. 



A week after his first sweat he may be tried to see if he retains his 

 speed; but it is a bad thing to overtax him the first time, and too fre- 

 quently repeated trials are sure to ruin. The animal must, therefore, be 

 watched, and his trials and work regulated by the progress he makes. 



Food. References have already been made to feeding in the chapter 

 on General Training, but about 10 Ibs. of oats a day will be found the 

 daily average consumed by the trotter. Some horses, however, require far 

 more than this amount, and such was the great Rarus, which, Mr. Splan 

 writes, required a full 15-lb. allowance when in hard work. 



