WATERING HORSES. 61 



One of the popular errors about watering horses is, 

 that they should be stinted of water for some hours 

 before doing fast work, on the plea that it affects 

 their wind. As the water, which becomes part and parcel 

 of the blood, cannot by any possibility impede the 

 organs of breathing, it follows that its unabsorbed por- 

 tion alone can effect them ; but we have just seen 

 that the whole of the water is taken up with extreme 

 rapidity, so that, after a short time, there is none left 

 in the stomach or intestines to cause any impediment. 

 On the contrary, stinting a horse of water will directly 

 affect his wind, for the blood will then gradually become 

 thickened, and, if the animal be put to violent exertion, 

 will fail to circulate through the lungs with requisite 

 freedom; besides that, the action of the heart will 

 become impeded, and the whole nutrition of the system 

 interfered with. 



If a horse has been deprived of water for a consi- 

 derable time, we should exercise some caution in water- 

 ing him, lest he ma}^ drink a larger quantity than can rea- 

 dily be taken up, for the unabsorbed portion especially 

 if the fluid be given cold may cause serious derangement. 

 When a horse is heated by exercise, his system will 

 absorb water far more readily than when he has cooled 

 down; hence under the former condition there is far 

 less risk in giving a liberal supply, than under the 

 latter. Colonel Sir F. Fitzwygram remarks : " It is 

 a somewhat singular fact that horses may be watered 

 with safety almost immediately after their return 

 from work, even though somewhat heated. " And 

 points out that there is then far less risk of chill from 



