Feeding and Conditioning of Hunters 



sell best at the season's commencement — even then 

 it is not advisable to part with a horse you really 

 like. Manifold reasons may tempt a man to sell. 

 And again it is only a really finished horseman who 

 can go well on new mounts at a season's com- 

 mencement. These are therefore some of the 

 courses open to a would-be fox-hunter for the next 

 season. You can keep the horses up in gentle 

 exercise^ or summer them in loose boxes, or 

 turn them out to grass. Now turning out to 

 grass has not even economy on its side. For 

 a full diagnosis of this plan I refer you to 

 ^^ Hunting " in the Badminton Library among 

 other works. 



Lameness during the next season you will prob- 

 ably find, besides accidents during the summer in 

 wire and from kicks, &c. To crown all, there is 

 the inevitable loss of condition and the months it 

 takes to regain it. As to summering in loose boxes 

 or strawyards, it is fairly cheap : the horses ^^i no 

 exercise to speak of. Risk is, however, minimised. 

 No doubt the system of keeping horses up in 

 gentle exercise pays best in the long run. A rest 

 from high feeding as well as the hard work is 

 desirable. Horses require cooling down as well, 

 viz. gradually place horses on laxative food. Those 

 that are blistered after season's work to run in a 

 paddock ; the others, presumably sound, go to 

 walking exercise. Horses summered at grass re- 



63 



