18 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



tomea time, will be watching and fretting 

 with miicli anxiety, and oftentimes will call 

 and ask for his food, in such manner, as those 

 accustomed to Horses cannot fail to understand. 

 Regidar and stated hours should be punctually 

 attended to, with as little variation, as the sea- 

 son or circumstances may require ; five o'clock 

 in summer ; but as the days shorten a later 

 hour is admissible, unless Horses are to be 

 ready at an early hour for hunting, or other- 

 wise ; in such cases, two hours at least before 

 tUey are wanted, the stable should be visited : 

 '* you do not allow yourself sufficient time, 

 things cannot be done as they should. 



The first thing to be done on going to 

 stable, after casting your eye round to see if 

 any Horses are loose, cast, or the like, is to 

 rack and feed. The judgment in racking is 

 to give the Horse but little at a time, that he 

 may eat it with an appetite, first clearing out 

 his rack, &c. &c. If a Horse leaves hay that 

 is good and sweet, some cause must be 

 assigned for it, and it must be examined into ; 

 sometimes cats will foul the hay, and Horses 

 are very nice in their food, when not kept 

 scanty. If the Horse appears to be in health, 

 and the hay has not been blown on by other 

 horses, but is fresh and sweet, I should judge 

 he is too plentifully fed, and leaving hay for 

 the sake of oats — this should be guarded 

 against ; therefore, if you give hay that is good 

 and clean in moderation, I would recommend 

 to shorten his allowance of oats, to bring his 

 stomach to the small quantity of hay that I 

 recommended to be given. His mornings 

 racking should be one quarter of his daily 

 allowance, which, on the average, is about 

 three pounds for his breakfast ; for abundant 

 feeding in the morning is not good ; a Horse 

 catuiot work pleasant to himself when over-full, 



and therefore feed sparingly in the morning ' 

 and if you want some exertion from him, do 

 not suppose that a full belly will make him 

 perform the better, it is the food that he has 

 digested, and from which he has obtained 

 that nutriment and its consequent stimulus 

 that is to support him in his work, and not 

 what you cram into him at the time you want 

 him for great exertion : a good Horse, in pro- 

 per condition, will not flag in twelve hours, if 

 you require that much of him ; and 1 liave 

 rode a Horse many times for twelve hours, 

 and on a moderate computation, suppose he 

 has carried me a hundred miles, without (as 

 it is termed) drawing bit ; but this is not to 

 be expected from every Horse, none but 

 thorough good Horses, in proper condition, can 

 undergo such extraordinary exertions. 



But to return. The quantity of hay that 

 is given should be well shaken, to clear it 

 from dust and seeds, and if it is very dry, as 

 it sometimes will be, sprinkling it with water 

 will be more agreeable to the Horse, and he 

 will eat it with better appetite. 



1 have known many Horses, when tliey per- 

 ceive or think they are going out with the 

 hounds, or have seen the rider come into the 

 stable with his scarlet coat on, and his white 

 cords, refuse to eat their hay or oats : this 

 arises from an impatient and pleasing anxiety 

 of mind, the animating prospect of the chase, of 

 which most horses are fond, but some uncom- 

 monly so ; but whether they disregard their 

 food from this pleasing anxiety, as children 

 will, when the prospect of pleasure is arrived, 

 or whether they refuse their food, knowing 

 they will be better able to gallop with an 

 empty stomach, 1 will not pretend to deter- 

 mine ; but certain it is, the Horses that have 

 come within my knowledge, never performed 



