248 THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



not necessary to point out that all the work of a 

 horse in training should be done in company. 



The rider, even if he is well within the weight 

 he has to ride, will be wise to take a good deal of 

 strong exercise the last few weeks before the race. 

 He will probably answer that he does take a 

 good deal of strong exercise, that he hunts and is 

 constantly on horseback. That is all very well 

 as far as it goes, but if he would be fit on the 

 day of the race he must do a great deal more 

 than that. He must take long walks, live 

 abstemiously, and carefully, and get some of the 

 inside fat off. 



For riding a three-mile steeplechase is no 

 child's play and it is very aggravating to know 

 that you have been beaten because you have 

 tired before your horse. There is another thing 

 too that should be guarded against on the morn- 

 ing of the race and that is a hearty meal. Liquids 

 should also be strictly limited in quantity. If a 

 man gets a fall in a steeplechase the amount of 

 hurt he receives will be due in some measure and 

 that no trifling one to the quantity of food he has 

 in his stomach. As for the liquid part of the diet, 

 that is very apt to be troublesome when weigh- 

 ing in. A man wastes a little in riding in a three- 

 mile steeplechase on a warm spring afternoon, 

 and if he has drunk much liquid he may waste a 

 great deal. 



I remember once a gallant gentleman finding 

 much fault with the Clerk of the Scales at a 

 steeplechase meeting for weighing him out 



