HAY 237 



During the months of March and April ahnost all 

 horses look well ; but I should be unjust to myself 

 and to the system I am advocating, were I not to state 

 that all through the early part of the season the con- 

 dition of my horses was admitted, by all who saw 

 them with the different packs of hounds with which 

 I hunted, to be very superior. I should also be unjust 

 towards my brother sportsmen were I not to inform 

 them of every circumstance that might contribute 

 to this superiority ; and one is, the strict attention I 

 pay to the quality of the hay my horses eat when getting 

 into condition. As there is nothing like chapter and 

 verse upon these matters, I now state, that with fifty 

 tons of hay in my own rick-yard, I sent five miles 

 for that which I considered much superior, and for 

 which I gave five guineas per ton. 



During the early part of the season there was one 

 property attending the condition of my horses which 

 I must be allowed to mention, and which particularly 

 attracted the notice of my brother sportsmen ; and 

 that is — the clean appearance of their skins after sweat- 

 ing. When we see a thick scum, having a resemblance 

 to paste, hanging upon a horse after profuse sweating, 

 we may be assured his blood is not in a proper state ; 

 and this is almost invariably the case up to the end 

 of February with horses which have been summered 

 in the fields, and whose blood has not been well 

 cleansed by alteratives or sweating, of which, 

 under those circumstances, time will not sufficiently 

 admit. Some people will tell us they do not 

 regard seeing their hunters lather when they sweat : 



