198 TRAINING AND RACING. 



nervous system, on which is dependant the exhibition 

 of all muscular force. Hence we should avoid the 

 mistake of drawing a horse fine too soon, and should 

 endeavour to apportion his work in such a manner that 

 he will be " trained to the hour," knowing well that 

 it is impossible to keep him" " wound up to concert pitch," 

 beyond a very few days. 



When a horse, under ordinary conditions, is well fed 

 and little worked, there is not alone a quantity of 

 adipose tissue deposited in his system, but also a certain 

 amount of infiltration of fat, in the form of distinct 

 drops, takes place in the cells of the different tissues, 

 and particularly in those of the liver. This fat, by 

 distending the cells, renders the muscles, liver, and 

 other involved structures, unfit to bear the strain of 

 violent and continued exertion. The object of training 

 is not alone to get rid of the retarding weight of a 

 quantity of useless fat, but also to eliminate the infil- 

 trated fat from tissues that are called into action during 

 work ; hence, when we sweat a horse, we do so in order 

 to remove from his system a certain amount of fat, 

 some of which is broken up by the oxidation of its 

 carbon by the agency of respiration, while the greater 

 part of the remainder is carried out, in the form of 

 oily matter, along with the perspiration, which fluid is 

 directly abstracted from the blood. For the main- 

 tenance of health, the blood must contain a certain 

 proportion of water, which varies, under special condi- 

 tions, such as violent exercise, purging, deprivation of 

 water, excessive perspiration, &c., from 700 to 800 parts 

 in a thousand. If, in case of loss, the normal proportion 



