294 THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 



water, and to be often dressed, and suffered to sleep as 

 much as lie pleases ; he should be so fed that his dung 

 may be rather soft than hard, and it must be of a bright 

 clean colour. 



There is a general practice among the grooms in 

 many places of giving their hunters wheat- straw as 

 soon as they take them up from grass. They say they 

 do this to take up their bellies ; but their seems much 

 reason to disapprove of this. The change is very vio- 

 lent, and the nature of the straw so heating and dry- 

 ing, that there seems great reason to fear that the 

 astringent nature of it would be more prejudicial than 

 is at first perceived. It is always found that the dung 

 is hard after this food, and voided with pain and diffi- 

 culty, which is in general very wrong for this sort 

 of horse. It is better, therefore, to avoid this straw- 

 feeding, and to depend upon moderate airing, warm 

 clothing, and good old hay, and old corn, than to have 

 recourse to any thing of this kind. 



When the horse has evacuated all his grass, and has 

 been properly shod, and the shoes have had time to 

 settle his feet, he may be ridden abroad, and treated 

 in this manner : — the groom ought to visit him early in 

 the morning, at five o'clock in the long days, and at 

 six in the short ones ; he must then clean out the sta- 

 ble, and feel the horse's neck, flank, and belly, to find 

 the state of his health. If the flank feels soft and 

 flabby, there is a necessity of good diet to harden it, 

 otherwise any great exercise will occasion swellings and 

 goutiness in the heels. After this examination, a 

 handful or two of good old oats, well sifted, should be 

 given him ; this will make him have more inclination 

 to water, and will also make the water sit better in his 

 stomach than if he drank fasting. After this, he is to 

 be tied up and dressed. If in the doing of this he 



