TREATMENT AFTER A HARD RUN 179 



only invigorate the blood, but increase the elasticity 

 of the muscles and strengthen the whole nervous 

 system. 



Let me not be understood to recommend the use 

 of cordial balls on every trifling occasion, such as a 

 horse refusing to eat a feed of corn. In my experience 

 with hunters I have never been much troubled with 

 bad feeders — it being nineteen times out of twenty 

 the fault of the system pursued with them, if a horse 

 will not eat sufficient for the purpose he is applied to. 

 Only let him be well cleansed with physic, and kept 

 on good hard meat, and I will answer for his eating 

 enough. Nothing is so prejudicial to a shy feeder as 

 being part of the year in, and part out of, his stable. 

 By being always kept in, and fed regularly, his appetite 

 returns, as it were mechanically, at stated periods ; and 

 if kept quiet, he will eat his allowance in the twenty 

 four hours. Keeping horses quiet has more to do with 

 feeding than people are aware of ; and I have had a 

 few horses in my time, which, though they would not 

 pick up their com quite clean in the daytime, would 

 eat half a bushel in the course of the night, if given 

 to them. 



Fretting and nervous horses are very apt to refuse 

 their feed in strange places. A friend of mine came 

 to see me last hunting season, and in consequence of 

 my stables being within hearing of the cry of hounds 

 in the kennel, one of his horses v/ould not touch his 

 corn for two whole days. Not having a cordial ball 

 at hand, I gave him a teaspoonful of Cayenne pepper 

 on the third day, which so stimulated his stomach that 



