ON PHYSIC. Ill 



do not sweat three times a fortnight, will certainly 

 have to sweat once in five or six days. Let us also 

 suppose this horse to have fallen amiss in one of his 

 fore legs, — we will say, six weeks before his race ; and 

 as we would wish to bring him to post the day on 

 which he is engaged, we will consider the injury 

 which he may have received not to be of a very 

 serious nature, but such as may have arisen from a 

 blow he may have given himself on his leg with the 

 opposite foot, perhaps in going along in his sweat, in 

 changing his legs, or coming incautiously round a 

 turn ; or it may have occurred in the act of pulling 

 up, if his boots should not be sufficiently thick to 

 ward off a blow of this kind. The way by which the 

 leg may have become injured is not very material; but 

 I prefer representing an injury of this sort, as it is 

 one which may soon be got the better of by proper 

 management; yet it is of sufficient importance to 

 shew the great necessity there is for administering 

 physic to a race-horse under such circumstances. 



A horse having received an injury of this kind, may 

 not immediately go lame, nor may the leg immediately 

 enlarge from it ; perhaps not until the following morn- 

 ing. Now, it is the custom with a good training groom, 

 in the morning, before he goes out with his horses to 

 exercise, to examine the legs of such of them as may have 

 sweat the day previous ; and if he observe the leg of a 

 horse out of shape, he immediately handles and exa- 

 mines it very minutely, and finds perhaps, that there is 

 a great deal of inflammation present, which to him, is a 



