FOOD. 90 



from acting as a purgativ e. Under these circumstances, 

 less corn may be given for a day or two, or it may 

 even be discontinued for tliat time ; for it is a great 

 point carried, if a craving horse, when on green food, 

 can be got to purge and stale moderately by its use ; 

 that is, provided he is not engaged to run again in a 

 short period. 



Those horses, which by some grooms are termed 

 hearty or light-hearted ones, are by such appellations 

 understood to be in the medium, as regards the strength 

 of their constitutions ; that is, they are between the 

 very light horses, and the very craving ones. As these 

 horses require less work to prepare them for running, 

 they are not so frequentl}^ stale on their legs, or in 

 themselv^es ; yet, like those first mentioned, if abused 

 by being too repeatedly run, they become so, and they 

 then require to be refreshed, as directed above, with 

 this exception, that they seldom require to be purged 

 either by green meat or physic to that extent the crav- 

 ing ones do. Their green food may be given them 

 mixed with their hay. As the very light delicate 

 horses cannot stand work to run often, they are never 

 stale on their legs, and are very seldom so in their 

 constitutions; yet green food occasionally given to 

 these horses, by way of variety, is an excellent thing 

 for them. Green meat given to different horses for the 

 period I have mentioned, or as occasion may require, 

 in the spring, summer, or autumn months, is a most 

 salubrious and refreshing sort of food, if cut when 

 young and full of juice. It promotes the secretion of 



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