114 HUNTING 



condition as a stimulant. They cost about 

 5s. 6d. per bushel. 



6. Linseed must be carefully cooked for ten or twelve 



hours before it is given to horses. Taken 

 as a mash, it is an invaluable tonic to hunters 

 after a long day. 



7, Carrots and green food, etc. — Two white carrots 



per diem, cut lengthwise, are sufficient for a 

 horse. They are a luxury to him, not a 

 necessity. Their price is about 40s. to 45s. 

 per ton. During the hunting season green 

 food must be used very sparingly, and only 

 when a horse requires a mild purgative. 

 Indeed, a hunter in sound condition never 

 requires it. Oatmeal for gruel must of course 

 be kept. As it is advisable to give a horse 

 gruel on his way home from hunting, the 

 master should know how to make it. Place 

 two double handfuls of oatmeal in a bucket, 

 pour boiling water over it, and stir it till it 

 becomes a thick cream, then pour sufficient 

 cold water over it to reduce it to a blood heat. 

 Some men add gin or ale, either of which 

 acts as a restorative if the horse will take it. 



Every stable should possess a good stable cat, to destroy 

 or scare away mice. Also, there is a strong friendship 

 between a horse and a cat. We have seen a vicious 

 horse playing with a kitten in its manger, like a little 

 girl in the nursery playing with her first puppy. Mice 

 are most destructive to forage, so a cat is a necessity ; 



