70 THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 



ing a hunter in the stable, in preference to turning him 

 out to grass, was generally accepted and established, but 

 " magna est Veritas et prwvalehit ;' it is now difficult to 

 find any one so bigoted to the ancient usages of his fore- 

 fathers as to consign a valuable hunter to all the torment 

 of heat and flies, — the lamenesses, the grass coughs, and 

 all the catalogue of ills engendered by what was termed 



the indulgence of a summer's run A run, indeed, well 



calculated to deprive him of the chance of any run in the 

 winter.— It has been my custom to have them turned 

 out into soft paddocks for two hours about sunrise and 

 sunset, and to keep them through the remainder of the 

 day and night in loose boxes. I have seen very good ac- 

 commodation afforded in large bams, which, by moveable 

 partitions of rails or hurdles, may be divided into several 

 compartments, where they may be served with lucern, 

 tares, or sainfoin. An artificial bed of clay may be 

 introduced, if required, for the benefit of their /(?e/, which 

 will call for constant attention on the part of the head 

 gi'oom, or person in charge of them. I am not presuming 

 to indite any code of rules for attaining the degree of 

 condition which, I have stated, is the sine qua non : ha\ing 

 already made allusion to what I hold to be the printed 

 laws, I do not wish to appear as a dwarf treading in the 

 footsteps of a giant ; but this book would fall far 

 short of its purpose, if I did not, with regard to horses. 



