236 TRAINING AND RACING. 



for the horse should be disturbed and excited as little as 

 possible: for this reason I would never plait the mane 

 of an excitable horse. 



The use of plaiting the mane is to prevent the hair 

 flying about and getting entangled with the fingers of the 

 rider, while he is holding the reins, especially when he 

 wants to shorten his grip on them. 



Having arrived at the race-course, the horse should be 

 kept walking in the shade, if possible, while the sad- 

 dling should be done quietly, and without any fuss ; I 

 think it is advisable for the owner to look after this 

 operation himself, and to see that the weights, girths, 

 stirrup leathers, etc., are all right. The horse gets now, 

 from a leather-covered soda water bottle, just enough 

 water to rinse his mouth out, the jockey is given a leg 

 up, the syce dusts his boots down, and off they start for 

 the post, where a syce should always go in case of acci- 

 dents, and if he takes a spare stirrup leather and girth, 

 they are not much weight and may corne in useful, for 

 such things often break at false starts. Besides this, the 

 jockey may have to dismount in order to arrange some 

 part of the gear, and will require the syce to hold his 

 horse, or to lead him up to the starting post in case he 

 be fractious. 



Treatment after running. A horse should be water- 

 ed immediately after a race, while, if he be much dis- 

 tressed, he may get 1J oz. sweet spirits of nitre in a 

 drench, or 2 drs. carbonate of ammonia in a ball. If he 

 has not to run for five or six days, he may get a bran mash 

 or two. But if a fortnight or more is to elapse before his 

 next race, he may have an alterative ball, and be kept 



