86 PREPARATION. 



to keep the horses warm whilst at exercise during the cold 

 and windy month of March, by additional clothing, or walk- 

 ing them at a brisk pace ; or if this be not sufficient a canter 

 may be judiciously given at short intervals, and after the 

 gallop another steady canter. Otherwise they arc apt, if 

 not certain, to take cold and be laid up the greater and best 

 part of the summer. These remarks apply with equal force to 

 wet weather. If horses arc not allowed to dawdle about, but 

 kept moving whilst out almost to perspiring heat, and brought 

 in comfortably warm, they will seldom catch cold from being 

 kept out in such weather, or indeed take any other illness. 

 On the other hand, as sure as they are allowed to mope about, 

 or, worse by far, allowed to stand still, shivering, with their 

 coats reversed, under the supposed friendly shelter of a hedge 

 or plantation during the continuance of the storm, so sure are 

 they to cough and have other ailments; brought about, I need 

 not say, by mismanagement, aiming more at the comfort of 

 the boys than the benefit of the horses. This practice should 

 not be permitted under any pretence whatever. 



A striking proof of the harmlessness of exercising in wet 

 weather may be given in the case of Joe Miller. For three 

 consecutive weeks it rained incessantly, during which time 

 he never missed a gallop, nor felt the worse for the deluge, as 

 was shown by the ridiculous case with which he won the 

 Ascot Cup, when a part of the lower side of the course was 

 submerged. His victory, indeed, as was abundantly proved 

 both before and after, Avas less due to his own capacity than 

 to the lack of exercise on the part of some of his opponents. 



But if no stress of weather, fog perhaps excepted, would 

 prevent my galloping daily a horse near his race, ordinarily, 

 in cold, wet and foggy weather, I let the bulk of the horses 

 remain in the stables, but for not more than a couple of days 



