ON HUNTING. 59 



horse. Begin very steadily with the oats, do not try to 

 stuff him with them at first ; sib. a day, given at lib. 

 three times, is quite enough for the first week. Plenty of 

 good sound, well got, long hay ; a few sliced carrots, and 

 a bran mash twice a week. Walk him in hand for the first 

 week an hour or so a day. The next week increase the 

 oats to 61b. a day, and get on the horse's back and walk 

 him for an, hour to an hour and a half each day. 

 Gradually increase the corn till, when the regular season 

 begins, he is getting i4lb. or thereabouts in four feeds. 

 You will find that you will not get this quantity of oats into 

 the horse till the regular season starts and you are doing real 

 hard work ; even then you will perhaps not get the horse to 

 take so much corn at any time, unless he is a very good 

 " doer " indeed. I have got i61b. a day often into a 

 thoroughbred horse, and I know trainers who feed up to i81b. 

 I advocate long hay to be always with the horse, unless a 

 horse is a gross feeder. Of course, if he is not eating his oais 

 keep the hay from him. If the horse bolts his oats without 

 masticating them put chop in his feeds. I do not like rolled 

 or bruised oats, because the corn dealer can send any 

 rubbish and you cannot recognise it. Keep up the 

 walking exercise, not less than two hours a day, more 

 if you like, right away till cubbing starts. Then he 

 will get little trots and canters to open his pipes. Do 

 not do any galloping or jumping in the cubbing season ; 

 the ground is hard and fences are blind. I should not 

 allow a horse out of a walk till he goes cubbing. If the 

 horse is big and fat about the middle of October take him 

 a few short trots in ploughed land. Nothing puts on muscle 

 and improves his wind like it. The so-called two hours' 

 exercise of the groom is usually a humbug. It generally 

 takes place before you are up, and you have no check on it. 

 If the groom is not very busy let him do it after breakfast, 

 so that you have some eye to how long the horse is actually 

 out of the stable. If after the groom's exercise you fancy 

 a ride, get up on the horse and give him an hour or so more. 

 It will do you both good, but ride the horse all the time; 

 that is, " nag " him and correct some of the groom's bad 

 methods. Hold the horse together with the bridle; make 



