LETTER II 



OBJECTIONS AGAINST TURNING HUNTERS OUT TO A 

 summer's run at grass — PHYSIC 



MY principal objections against turning 

 hunters out to a summer's run at grass, 

 as far as relates to their legs, consist of 

 three. The first is the great risk we run 

 of injuring their legs by the work we are obliged to 

 give them, when heavy, to get rid of the load of flesh 

 which they have accumulated at grass. My eyes 

 were opened on this subject by witnessing the pro- 

 gress of a stable of hunters belonging to a friend of 

 mine, with whom I was on intimate terms. He was 

 a heavy man, and generally had a stud of five or 

 six hunters, which he was in the habit of turning 

 out for a summer's run in strong feeding land. The 

 consequence was, they came up overladen with 

 flesh about the last week in July, or the first in 

 August. When in the stable no man's horses were 

 better looked after, for he was a good judge of such 

 matters ; but towards the end of September, or the 

 beginning of October, I always found that out of these 

 five or six horses he had two or three lame ones. On 

 questioning him as to the cause of their lameness, I 

 was generally told they had thrown out a bit of a 

 splint, got a blow on their legs, or some trifling reason 



