WORK. 105 



useful life ; and it must be remembered that more injury can 

 be inflicted by a few days', or, indeed, for that matter, a few 

 hours', overwork than it will take weeks, or perhaps months, 

 to repair. If the labour is severe or long, it is well, if 

 possible, to allow an interval of rest during its performance, if 

 only for a short period, and, if necessary, a mouthful of food 

 and water. For horses working slowly for several hours, a rest 

 of twenty or thirty minutes at the end of four hours greatly 

 benefits them, as during the interval they have time for a 

 meal. A longer fast than four hours is also not advisable, for 

 reasons before given. 



In tramcar work, which is, on the whole, pretty heavy, a 

 maximum of fourteen miles a day is considered a fair amount 

 of work per horse, for seven days in the week. If a horse is 

 severely pushed one day, he must have a corresponding amount 

 of rest to recuperate on following days ; for instance, two days' 

 hunting in the week is estimated as sufficient for a horse in 

 good condition, the other days being devoted to rest and 

 exercise. Of course, in addition to the influences which we 

 have already mentioned as operating in this matter, the 

 manner in which the horse is made to do his work by the rider 

 or driver counts for much : a skilful, considerate, and humane 

 man getting much more work out of a horse, with less fatigue 

 or injury to the animal, than one who is inexperienced, 

 stupid, or brutal. A good horseman should know when his horse 

 is over-exerted, or discouraged, and relieve him accordingly; 

 and the animal's efforts should be stimulated by a kindly word, 

 or encouraging pat, just as his fear or over-excitement ought to 

 be allayed in the same way. The watchful eye and the sym- 

 pathetic heart of the real horseman are everything to the horse. 



REST. 



Rest, to a hard -worked horse, is as much a necessity as good 

 food, and the animal should enjoy as complete repose as possible 



