268 CENTURV OF ENGLISH FOX-HUNTING 



other abrasions or wounds. The following is the 

 most serviceable : — 



Formnla for Astringent Lotion. 



Sulphate of zinc ) i . ^ j u 



^ ^ \ . each 4 to 6 drachms. 



Acetate of lead J 



Water . . . . i quart. 



Mix. Shake the bottle when used. 



Now the medicine cupboards of our forefathers 

 were like the medicine chests of our grandmothers, 

 inasmuch as they contained a varied assortment of 

 medicines which it was seldom necessary to use, but 

 nevertheless were used because they were there ; 

 but we have learnt that there is nothing more 

 dangerous to the welfare of horses than the in- 

 judicious use of medicine. 



I shall treat of the conditioning of hunters in 

 another chapter, when I deal with cub-hunting and 

 the commencement of the season. 



I notice that there is one point which I omitted to 

 mention when writing about the village blacksmith, 

 namely, that the groom should never take the horse 

 to the forge without using the exercise saddle. To 

 ride on the cloths, holding on by the reins, as is a 

 common custom with some grooms even now, is 

 dangerous and apt to ruin a horse's mouth. A 

 high-spirited hunter is more prone to shy and to 

 bolt on the high road than he is in the hunting-field. 

 Of this, however, I shall have more to say later on. 



