HOUSE. 



like a liurried sigh, and a peculiar 

 convulsive action of the dia|)hragm, 

 as though the heart were violently 

 beating against the side. The loss 

 of blood, the administration of some 

 cordial medicine, and slow leading to 

 the nearest stable, are the best re- 

 storatives at the moment of distress ; 

 although the cordial would be abso- 

 lutely destructive a few hours after- 

 ward, when inflammation had com- 

 menced. 



" The hunting season having 

 passed, the horse used to be turned 

 into the field as soon as the grass 

 had begun fairly to sprout, and there, 

 with his feed or two feeds of corn 

 daily, and his hovel, into which he 

 might retreat from the sun or the 

 storm, he remained until the middle 

 of June, or the flies began to be troub- 

 lesome. It was delightful to see how- 

 much he enjoyed this short period of 

 liberty ; and well had he earned it. 

 Of late years, however, it has be- 

 come the fashion to confine him to 

 his box, whence he stirs not, except 

 for an hour's walking exercise on 

 the road, until he is taken into train- 

 ing for the next winter's business. 



" Nothing can be so erroneous or 

 cruel as this. There are few horses 

 that have not materially suffered in 

 their legs and feet before the close of 

 the hunting season. There cannot 

 be anything so refreshing to their 

 feet as the damp coolness of the 

 herbage which they tread at that pe- 

 riod ; and there is no physic which 

 so safely and effectually as the spring 

 grass carries off every humour that 

 may be lurking in their frame. 



" The training of the hunter for his 

 work is a simple affair ; it is, by 

 means of exercise and physic, getting 

 rid of all superfluous fat and flesh 

 without debilitating him. The phys- 

 ic is useful ; it is indispensable ; but 

 the chief thing is gradually to accus- 

 tom him to the exertion of every 

 power that he possesses, without too 

 much hurrying his breathing or over- 

 straining or injuring him. 



"The training of the race-horse is 

 of a similar character, but it is far 

 more severe, for his strength, his 



•392 



speed, and his endurance must be 

 tested to the utmost. The hunter 

 has to carry his rider gallantly and 

 well through perhaps a long burst, 

 and if he tires, and the sportsman 

 has the good sense and humanity to 

 cease to urge him on, the greatest 

 evil is some temporary suffering to 

 him, and disappointment to his mas- 

 ter ; but if the race-horse breaks 

 down, or if his capabilities have 

 not been accurately calculated, the 

 most serious loss may be sustained. 

 Thence arises the necessity of strain- 

 ing and of testing every power in the 

 preparation of the turf horse ; and 

 thence, too, it happens, from the 

 strange and impolitic sacrifice of the 

 endurance of the modern racer to 

 speed during short distances, that so 

 many young horses break down and 

 become perfectly useless in their 

 training. 



" The watering of the horse is a 

 very important but disregarded por- 

 tion of his general management. The 

 kind of water has not been sufficient- 

 ly considered. The difference be- 

 tween what is termed hard and soft 

 water is a circumstance of general 

 observation. The former contains 

 certain saline principles which de- 

 compose some bodies, as in the cur- 

 dling of soap ; and prevent the solu- 

 tion of others, as in the making of 

 tea, the boiling of vegetables, and the 

 process of brewing. It is natural to 

 suppose that these different kinds ot 

 water would produce somewhat dif- 

 ferent effects on the animal frame, 

 and such is the fact. Hard water, 

 freshly drawn from the well, will fre- 

 quently roughen the coat of the horse 

 unaccustomed to it, or cause griping 

 pains, or materially lessen the ani- 

 mal's power of exertion. The racing 

 and the hunting groom are perfectly 

 aware of this, and so is the horse, 

 for he will refuse the purest water 

 from the well if he can obtain access 

 to the running stream, or even the 

 turbid pool. Where there is the pow- 

 er of choice, the soft water should 

 undoubtedly be preferred. 



"The temperature of the water 

 is of far more consequence than 



