422 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



When a Horse pulls up from his running-, he 

 has time given him to move gently in the air, 

 and is usually scraped out upon the turf, and 

 by these means the Horse perspires no more 

 than suits his nature. 



Horses should have different brakes against 

 weather, to scrape in. Buildings for this, I 

 think, would be most proper made after the 

 horse-dealers' rides in London ; open in front, 

 beins: out of the weather, and not out of the 

 air. Places of this sort would be much the 

 best for Horses to saddle in ; for Horses sad- 

 dling in those close, dark stables, they at times 

 break out with great perspiration when sad- 

 dling; and in fine roomy places of this sort, 

 there would be proper space, &c. for noble- 

 men and gentlemen sportsmen to command a 

 sight of the Horses at saddling ; and Horses 

 are less timid being in a crowd, than they are 

 to hear it and not see it 



When a Horse is fust taken into work after 

 having had a long rest, his carcase is then 

 large and heavy, and the practice is to put 

 more cloths upon the Horse, and order him 

 to go a longer sweat. But the Horse in this 

 stage of his training is the less able to bear 

 more cloths, and go further in his sweats ; for 

 the Horse himself being heavy, that, with boy 

 and cloths, at times has a great weight upon 

 his legs ; with this pressure and his work 

 heating him. it makes his sinews full and weak; 

 and thus working a little too fast or too long 

 upon his sinews at one stretch, they are forced 

 out of their places. This once done, the Horse 

 seldom stands trainins; after. 



It is ignorant cruelty that causes a number of 

 Horses being thus unskilfully lamed at New- 

 market ; and gentlemen not only lose tlie use 

 of them and their money by it, but it deprives 

 them of sport laey otherwise might have , 



The principal care in training Horses for 

 runnmg, and hunters and hacks for hard riding, 

 is, to train their legs to be able to carry their 

 carcase ; using them first to short exercise, 

 short gallops, short sweats, and giving time 

 between their work for their sinews to rest, 

 or the best of legs will become destroyed. 



Horses' legs are very soon destroyed at first 

 coming into work ; but when they have had 

 time to be well trained, scarce any running 

 or riding will hurt them. 



Some few, I am informed, have a way of 

 pinching their race-horses in their meat and 

 water. This is another certain way of perish- 

 ing a Horse in his spirit and strength. 

 Where a Horse is too large in his carcase, he 

 should be well fed, as Horses, I believe, for 

 the most part of them are at Newmarket ; 

 and, instead of pinching him in his water, 

 where a Horse is greedy of it, he should be 

 watered very often, and at all times as much 

 as he will drink ; he will then drink less, and 

 come straight and strona; in his carcase. 



The outcry is, Why are there so few good 

 runners, or that the turf-horses degenerate ? 

 Some say they think it is fi^» running Horses 

 too young. My opinion is this ; viz. That 

 the best running mares are trained till their 

 running is gene from them little or much, then 

 turned into the stud exhausted of their juices, 

 as above described. Perhaps drop a foal on 

 the following year, and so on year after year, 

 suckling one foal while breeding another 

 The mare is thus turned into the stud, drained 

 of her strength, and her continually breeding 

 keeps her so, without she lays herself barren 

 a year or two by her misstanding to the Horse. 

 This chance manner of her laying herself 

 fallow gives her an opportunity of recovering 

 her juices, or strength to enable her to breed 



