108 TREATMENT OF HORSES 



The horses being properly clothed, the boys 

 mount them, and ride them out of the stables 

 into the yard; if, from bad weather the horses 

 have been lying by for a day or two, it would 

 be advisable to have them out earlier than usual. 

 The first part of their exercise is, of course, 

 that of walking, and which should at first in- 

 variably take place in the stable-yard. In sum- 

 mer, when horses are in strong work, it may not 

 be necessary for them to walk here longer than 

 until the saddles are settled to their backs, or 

 until some of them have done setting up their 

 backs. But, during winter, it is often necessary 

 for them to walk in the yard for a considerable 

 time, perhaps for an hour; for, should they, as 

 I have just observed, been lying idle for a day 

 or two, they would most of them have become 

 very fresh and hearty, and were they in this 

 state to be ridden out from the stables im- 

 mediately on to the downs, one or two of the 

 most hearty would certainly begin their gambols, 

 and wdiich would set all the rest a-going at 

 theirs; the consequence of this would be, that 

 some of the bad riders would get thrown, 

 from which I have occasionally known both 

 boys and horses to be seriously injured. There- 

 fore, to prevent such accidents from occurring. 



