THE ART OF DRIVING 143 



digested grain out of the stomach has been partly, 

 perhaps wholly, discredited; but still, if the horse is at 

 all inclined to be "washy," or loose in his bowels, he 

 should not be watered for an hour at least after eating; 

 and in all cases where a horse is to be used right after 

 feeding it is much safer to water him before feeding; 

 and not again until two hours after feeding. A horse 

 should never start on a journey with a full stomach, or 

 anything like it; and for at least an hour before start- 

 ing he should not be allowed to eat or drink. 



On the road the horse should be watered as often as 

 possible. Water in moderate quantities, if not exces- 

 sively cold, will do no harm, no matter how hot he may 

 be, provided that he is kept going. But if he is about 

 to stand still, or is at the end of his journey, he should 

 receive only a few swallows. A horse in that condition 

 can, however, safely be given a small drink of luke- 

 warm water, and, twenty minutes or so later, another 

 small drink of the same kind, and so on. Horses in 

 general will drink tepid water as readily as if it were 

 cold. 



But much the better course Is to water the horse, and 

 let him have a good drink when you are, say, not less 

 than two, nor more than four miles from home. This 

 is the custom followed with the stage and post horses In 

 Switzerland, to whom extreme care is given. If your 

 horse Is watered at the point just mentioned, the water 

 in his stomach will be well warmed before he arrives, 

 so that there will be no danger of a chill, and, on the 

 other hand, he will not be thirsty when he comes into 

 the stable, which is a great advantage. A thirsty 



