MANAGEMENT OF HORSES IN THE OPEN. I33 



an off-day. On all occasions when it is possible, three or four hours 

 should be spent in the open air daily, the simple fact of being in and 

 breathing a pure atmosphere having a good effect on the health and 

 spirits. 



The bulk of the work should be done at a slow pace. — The troop horse The bulk 

 gets more than enough fast galloping work during the necessary training of the 

 of the men, and at field days and manoeuvres ; his conditioning and ^^'^^ , , 

 exercise should be carried out at the walk and trot, the proportion ^q°" ^j. ^ 

 being about four or three to one respectively. Though impossible to glow pace, 

 carry out in the Service, the exercise of the racehorse may be taken 

 as an ideal. Two or two and a half hours constantly on the move in 

 the morning, with two or three miles' trot and canter thrown in, and 

 one to one and a half hour's walk in the evening, is the class of 

 exercise which is given to get the animal fit to commence the faster 

 part of his preparation, and even when this is in progress the long 

 walking is continued. Plenty of walking, then, and a moderate amount 

 of trotting should constitute the " healthy exercise " for getting into Healthy 

 working condition and for maintaining it. Any attempt to try and exercise, 

 crowd extra work into less time under the impression that it will have 

 the same effect should be specially avoided and cannot be too strongly 

 condemned ; it does not harden muscle on the animal in the same way, 

 but tends to run the meat off him, make him tucked up in the belly, 

 perhaps irritable in the temper, as well as unduly heated on return from 

 work and therefore more liable to chills. 



The exercise should not follow the same route every day. — Horses have The 

 a wonderful memory in such matters, and as soon as they think they exercise 

 are on the direct road home, will often hurry, fidget and sweat till they ?^°^^*^ "°^ 

 get there. This nervous effect may usually be avoided by taking a ^° °^^ ,^ 

 different direction daily, breaking the work a httle by an occasional halt, everyday, 

 grazing and leading ; in fact, by any variation of dull, monotonous road 

 slogging. 



The exercise should move on the broadest possible fro?tt ; should The 



walk steep hills and should utilize any soft level roadsides for trotting, exercise 



The men should be accustomed to lead two horses, one on either side, ^"^^'^ 



niovG 

 and the horses trained to lead on either hand. The first mile should be ^^ ^^^ 



covered slowly, so that the horses can feel their feet, stretch their legs broadest 

 and empty their bov/els before they are called upon to trot, and the possible 

 last mile should also be walked so that they return to stables cool. front. 



The amount of weight which a?t a?iimal is to carry or draw on service The 

 should be frequently loaded, especially in the case of saddle horses and amount 

 pack animals, for unless the skin and muscles of the back are of weight 



which an 



