96 The Hokse Farrier. 



the agricultural horse. His work is usually regular, 

 and not exhausting. He is neither predisposed to dis- 

 ease by idleness, nor worn out by excessive exertion. 

 He, like his master, has enough to do to keep him. in 

 health, and not enough to distress or injure him : on 

 the contrary, the regularity of his work prolongs hfe 

 to an extent rarely witnessed in the stable. Our re- 

 marks on exercise, then, must have a general bearing. 

 The first rule we would lay down is, that every horse 

 should have daily exercise. The animal that, with the 

 usual stable-feeding, stands idle for three or four days, 

 as is the case in many establishments, must suffer. He 

 is predisposed to fever, or to grease, or most of all, 

 diseases of the foot ; and if, after three or four days of 

 inactivity, he is ridden far and fast, he is almost sure 

 to have inflammation of the lungs or of the feet. 



A stable-fed horse should have two hours' exercise 

 every day, if he is to be kept free from disease. Noth- 

 ing of extraordinary, or even of ordinary labor, can be 

 effected on the road or in the field, without sufiicient 

 and regular exercise. It is this alone which can give 

 energy to the system, or develope the j)Owers of any 

 animal. 



Exercise should be somewhat proportioned to the 

 age of the horse. A young horse requires more than 

 an old one. Nature has given to young animals of 

 every kind a disposition to activity ; but the exercise 

 must not be violent. A great deal depends upon the 

 manner in which it is given. To preserve the temper, 

 and to promote health, it should be moderate, at least 

 at the begmning and the termination. The rapid trot, 

 or even the gallop, may be resorted to in the middle 

 of the exercise, but the horse should be brought in cool. 



