120 ON PHYSIC. 



propriety of repeating dose after dose in this way ; if 

 they have not, I will endeavour to point out to them 

 by and bye, when on the subject of training, how 

 physic may be administered in both instances much 

 more to' the advantage of the horses. 



The preparing of race-horses for their physic in the 

 autumn, may be done in much the same manner as 

 with horses in common use; as more time may be 

 allowed for those horses of strong constitutions to be 

 kept on mashes, than when they are in training. 

 Three or four mashes a day, of equal parts of bran and 

 oats, for a couple of days, will relax their bowels, and 

 thereby facilitate the action of the medicine on them ; 

 and a less portion of aloes in their physic than is gene- 

 rally given to them when in regular training, will 

 answer the purpose of purging them equally w^ell. It 

 was formerly a rule with grooms, and it may, I have 

 no doubt, be much practised by many at present, 

 whenever they were going to physic several horses on 

 the same day, to give the whole of them their physic 

 early in the morning. With strong constitutioned 

 horses this may be very proper ; for in the common 

 way of preparing those horses, the medicine seldom 

 operates until the following morning ; that is, it gene- 

 rally remains in the bowels of those strong horses for 

 four-and -twenty hours before it begins to purge them. 

 But with others, which may be more delicate, it will 

 be seen to operate in the course of eight, ten, or twelve 

 hours. 



As we are not in so great a hurry for the medicine 



