NATURE OF Til 1C WORK. 195 



distance into them " is too often synonymous with 

 " taking the speed and life out of them." 



Repeated fast work, for comparatively short distances, 

 with intervals of rest between, will bo found to be 

 accompanied by less risk of accident, and less danger 

 of making a horse slow, than long fast gallops. 



I am purposely neglecting the question of a horse's 

 " wind," in favour of avoiding risk of accident and 

 danger of spoiling speed, for I think that the last two 

 considerations demand far more attention than the first, 

 for if a horse be thoroughly fit and well, has had lots of 

 work, and has been sent a few fast gallops for nearly 

 the length of the race for which he is going to run, he 

 will, in nineteen cases out of twenty, stay the distance, 

 unless indeed it be beyond that of which he is naturally 

 capable. 



From the foregoing remarks we may see that in order 

 " to bring a horse fit to the post," we must give him a 

 large amount of exercise, which should not be at a 

 long slow gallop. Hence the remainder of the exercise, 

 that we are unable to give at a fast pace, should be at 

 one which will be as little prejudicial to his speed as 

 possible, such as the walk, trot, and canter, which are 

 totally different in their action to the gallop. 



Food, The older writers on training were accus- 

 tomed to lay considerable stress on the necessity of 

 " hard " food, and a restricted allowance of water, in 

 order to reduce the size of a horse's stomach and intes- 

 tines, and to harden his muscles. At first sight, the 

 former consideration seems to be a most important one, 

 because if these organs be distended by the bulky nature 



