ON PHYSIC. 11^ 



grooms, are put, as it is termed, into physic. To bring 

 this point, — the physicking of race-horses generally, — 

 before my readers as clearly as I possibly can, I shall 

 commence with the physicking of such horses as may 

 be standing at home public racing stables — say for 

 example, at Newmarket, for there, either with young 

 ones or old ones, training, may be said to be always 

 going on. The meetings at Newmarket conclude the 

 latter end of October, which is, perhaps, too late in 

 the season to get green meat for the horses, in such 

 perfection as is requisite to assist in refreshing them. 

 Therefore to refresh some horses, and to lighten others, 

 the grooms begin in the month of November, to pre- 

 pare them for their physic ; and their custom was, with 

 such horses as had been running and travelling the 

 whole of the summer, to give each of them on his 

 return to the home stable, three doses of physic, with 

 an interval of eight or ten days between each dose ; 

 and in the spring, prior to their going into training 

 (depending on how early their engagements may take 

 place,) three doses more were given them, with the 

 same interval of time between each, and this was 

 tertned putting the horses through their different 

 courses of physic. The first course was to take the 

 staleness out of them, and bring their legs in shape, 

 which it did most effectually. The second course in 

 the spring, was to carry off the humours and to assist 

 in lightening the horses before they were put into 

 training. But I hope by this time, that some of the 

 training grooms, if not all of them, have seen the im- 



