CHAPTEE XI. 



EFFECT OF WEATHEB ON CONDITION GOVERNMENT AID IN EN- 

 COURAGING BREED OF HORSES GENERAL GRANT STABLE TRICKa. 



PRECEPTOR. The morning is again beautiful. How 

 much we ought to prize the fine weather that is meted to 

 us by the goodness of the Great Father ! We repine if a 

 shower or mist interferes in the slightest manner with 

 our business or pleasure, and give no thanks when the 

 skies are as propitious as now. 



Favorable weather is of great importance in getting our 

 horses in condition, and rain and sudden changes often 

 render nugatory the care we have bestowed upon them, and 

 upset all our calculations. My plan is to work, no matter 

 what the weather is. Of course, the amount of labor will 

 not be the same ; but it would be a tempest indeed that 

 kept my horses in the stable twenty-four hours at a time. 



Condition is much sooner lost than acquired ; and as 

 condition cannot be reached without continued work, it 

 must be lost when we cease our exertions. It is not pleas- 

 ant for either driver or horse to work on a muddy road or 

 track, and the groom's duties are more onerous then when 

 everything is dry and pleasant. The mud can be kept 

 off in a great measure by using a cotton cloth, similar to a 

 belly-wrapper, with strings to tie over the back. The tail 

 is tied up and enveloped in a bandage, when the legs will 

 be about all that is exposed. There are some cases when 

 muddy roads are beneficial by saturating the feet with 

 moisture, although horses with good feet, and shod in the 



