WORK. 35 



should the distance for the animal's day's work be 

 diminished. 



For instance, if you require him to do seven miles in 

 the hour daily, that seven miles must always be con- 

 sidered as full work for the day ; if you purpose going 

 eight miles per hour, your horse should only travel six 

 miles daily at that rate ; if faster still, five miles only 

 should be your bearer's limit ; if at a ten-mile rate, 

 then four miles ; or at a twelve-mile rate, three miles 

 per day. But of course such regulations apply to daily 

 work only, as a horse is capable of accomplishing a 

 great deal more without injury, if only called upon to 

 do so occasionally. 



A man may require to do a day's journey of thirty 

 miles, or a day's hunting, and such work being only 

 occasional, no harm whatever to the animal need result ; 

 but about eight or ten miles a-day at an alternate walk 

 or trot (say six-miles-an-hour pace) is as much as any 

 valuable animal ought to do if worked regularly. 



No horse ought to be hunted more than twice a-week 

 at the utmost. 



The work of horses, especially when ridden, ought 

 to be so managed that the latter part of the journey 

 may be done in a walk, so that they may be brought 

 in cool. 



A horse in the saddle is capable of travelling a hun- 

 dred miles, or even more, in twenty-four hours, if re- 

 quired ; and if the weight be light, and the rider judi- 

 cious, such feats may be done occasionally without 

 injury : but if a journey of a hundred miles be contem- 

 plated, it is better to take three days for its perform- 

 ance, each day's journey of over thirty miles being 

 divided into two equal portions, and got through early 



