ON PHYSIC. 141 



they have been put into training, and with only tlie 

 interval of a week or eight days between each dose; 

 which was much the custom with grooms when I was 

 first in the stables. Wlien craving horses are become 

 stale, from the causes already mentioned, and when 

 sufficient time cannot be allowed to refresh them by 

 long rest, it becomes necessary to attain this point by 

 the use of physic alone ; and then it becomes neces- 

 sary not only to purge such horses, but to purge them 

 briskly ; that is, the medicine beginning to operate early 

 in the morning, should, with the aid of exercise, con- 

 tinue to purge them freely, at intervals, until the shut- 

 ting up of the stables the last thing at night, when 

 it should shew some appearance of setting, and it 

 should be perfectly set on the following morning. Nor 

 must the groom be disappointed, if it can possibly be 

 avoided, as to the time of its operating : his being dis- 

 appointed in this respect would most likely be a loss 

 of time ; I mean, it would prevent his bringing his 

 horse well to post at the meeting he intended. 



Now, when a groom is going to physic any given 

 number of his horses, he must, as I have already 

 noticed, regulate the quantity of aloes he intends 

 giving in each dose, according to the strength of the 

 constitutions of different horses ; for although they may 

 all be what is generally termed strong craving horses, 

 yet there will be some variation in this respect. It is 

 therefore more difficult to get the medicine to act on 

 some than on others ; but, in regard to this matter, the 

 groom must be guided by the observations he may 



