58 THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



physic before putting the horses into work. 

 It takes away any acidity which may have been 

 caused by the green meat. But anything in the 

 way of a heavy physicking should be avoided 

 if possible. It is better to give a second light 

 dose after a few weeks have passed or earlier 

 if occasion seems to require. 



At first the horses should have about an 

 hour's walking exercise and the quantity of 

 corn should then be slightly increased. After 

 about a week the exercise should be extended 

 to two hours per day and the quantity of corn 

 may be slightly increased as the work increases. 

 A capital plan when exercising hunters is to take 

 them a round by country roads and bye-lanes 

 where it is possible to do so. When one comes 

 to think of it it is somewhat monotonous to 

 keep making the circuit of one field, week in week 

 out, and it is good for a horse's health to keep 

 him interested. I have pointed out the advantage 

 of taking a horse out in the afternoon for a few 

 minutes in a former chapter. 



After the horse has been at work for about 

 three weeks he may be trotted two or three times 

 every morning. A slow trot of a mile or a mile 

 and a half, repeated two or three times each 

 morning, is sufficient at first. This distance may 

 be increased gradually. It may be asked what 

 about cantering and galloping. I always impressed 

 it strongly on my grooms that I could do all 

 that was required in this direction myself. 



Cub-hunting begins much sooner than was 



