234 TRAINING AND RACING. 



ings, commencing at -J mile, and going up to j mile, im- 

 proving the pace up to f speed. 



Last fortnight. Four gallops, a little better than f 

 speed, for something under a mile. 



If an owner has a real " glutton " for work, he may 

 take liberties with him, but ponies usually are not that 

 sort. 



On off days the pony should have a fair amount of 

 exercise, hacking, &c., which I think should not exceed 

 9 or 10 miles a day. 



Setting. The degree of "setting," which term is 

 used to express the routine employed in stinting a horse 

 of his food and water before a race, will depend on the 

 distance to be run, the time of day at which the horse is 

 to come to the post, and on the condition and constitu- 

 tional peculiarities of the animal itself. The longer the 

 race is, the sharper should he be set. If it is to come 

 off in the morning and the horse be gross, he should get, 

 on the previous day, only about three pounds of hay or 

 dried grass, given in quantities of one pound each after 

 his morning, midday and evening feeds, the muzzle being 

 put on to prevent him eating his bedding. The evening 

 feed may be slightly decreased, while the early morning 

 feed of one pound should be given three hours before the 

 race comes off. In this case, no change in the system 

 of watering on the day preceding the race is needed. 



Water is very rapidly absorbed into the blood, and on 

 that account, when taken in moderation, a couple of 

 hours or so before a race, it does not act as a mechanical 

 obstruction to the organs exerted in violent exercise, nor 

 does it occupy the functions of the digestive apparatus 



