376 THEY TAKE IT " GALORE." 



horse I had to drink ale if offered him : they will all 

 take to it ; some refuse it for some time, but I never 

 knew one who, after taking it once or twice, but 

 was quite as ready for it as the groom would be if he 

 could get it : if a horse does not quite like his first 

 taste, a spoonful or two of brown sugar is sure to 

 give him the gusto for it, and when he has once got 

 that, he would, if permitted, get himself into a very 

 lordly state of inebriation ; the advantage of this 

 is it acts sooner on the spirits than a ball, and any 

 public-house produces it. I rarely found a horse 

 refuse to feed when a quart of good sound ale had 

 restored the tone of the stomach, nor will the ale- 

 drinking nag refuse his beverage should a glass of 

 gin be put in it, which I have often done if I found 

 the extremities feel cold. Let me recommend the 

 master to administer the medicine for very obvious 

 reasons. 



In Ireland, where heats are often run in steeple 

 races, I have many times seen a glass of whisky in a 

 pint of water given between the heats to a horse, 

 the rider often showing him how beneficial it was by 

 taking an allowance himself. " It's a way they 

 have," and not a bad one either. 



