102 ; : / ato lyiOTTlJffG-HOltSE OF AMERICA 



tion of strong food, there must needs be an extraordinary 

 amount of strong work done to keep the flesh down and get 

 rid of these superfluities, inside and outside, which experi- 

 ence has shown must be eliminated before the horse is 

 capable of his best achievements. Now, if it were a mere 

 question of bodily health and vigor, we might say, the more 

 oats the horse eats the more work he can do with impunity, 

 and the better his condition will be on the day of the race. 

 But it is not a mere question of bodily health and vigor ; 

 for the extra amount of work made necessary to get off the 

 effects of the extravagant quantity of food consumed, and 

 keep the horse only in proper flesh at the same time, 

 imposes a terrible task upon the legs, which are commonly 

 the first part of the machine to give out in horses whose 

 work is fast and severe. This is a consideration which has 

 made me averse to giving any horse in training more than 

 thirteen quarts of good oats a day, unless there is some- 

 thing peculiar in the animal and the circumstances of the 

 case. 



During the preparation which precedes the first trial, it 

 will be necessary to give the horse one or two sweats. 

 Whether it ought to be one or two must be indicated by 

 the condition and nature of the animal, the races in which 

 he is engaged, and resolved by the judgment of the trainer. 

 The amount of clothes in which he shall be sweated must 

 be determined by the same considerations. Some may 

 require a blanket and hood, and a wrapper round the neck 

 to start the perspiration out of them ; while there are others 

 that will sweat freely with but little clothes, and scrape 

 well when more have been thrown on at the end of the jog. 

 One thing may certainly be said, that a sweat obtained 

 without the use of heavy clothing is more satisfactory and 

 better than one with it, provided the latter method does not 

 include a good deal more work to get the sweat. Only a 

 moderate quantity of clothing and little work while the 

 horse is going, are the best for a sweat, if a good scrape 



