180 TRAINING AND RACING. 



The dung of a healthy horse should be fairly formed, 

 brittle, friable, and devoid of any adherent mucus. As 

 health is, above all others, the one essential condition, 

 without which it is impossible to get a horse fit, the 

 trainer should so regulate the food that the dung should 

 present a normal appearance, which is comparatively 

 easy to do in England, where sound, heavy oats are 

 procurable; but in India, where gram or barley often 

 have to be used, the task is much more difficult, always 

 considering the large amount of hard food that is re- 

 quisite for the utmost development of a horse's powers. 

 In cases where the digestion begins to become upset 

 by too highly stimulating a diet, the trainer should 

 diminish the quantity, and should further use means 

 to restore the functions to a healthy condition. With 

 this object in view, he may mix chopped hay through 

 the corn, or use, instead of it, from 1 to 2 Ibs. of 

 dry bran daily ; or give a few bran or bran and linseed 

 mashes. 



As a rule, as soon as a horse gets gradually into 

 strong work, he ought to have as much corn as he can 

 eat, provided the chief part of it be oats. Ten Ibs. will be 

 enough to commence on with a Waler, which quantity 

 may gradually be increased by 1 Ib. a week. A full 

 average amount would be gram 4 Ibs., oats 14 Ibs. ; or 

 gram 6 Ibs., parched barley 10 Ibs., together with 1 Ib. 

 of suttoo. 



An Arab will eat from 2 Ibs. to 4 Ibs. less corn than a 

 Waler. 



Oats, gram, and barley should always be given quite 

 dry, the first should be bruised, and the other two broken. 



