THE RACING STABLE. 57 



aid of excellent and well adapted training for the formation 

 and physical powers of the horse. 



The breed, formation, condition, and physical powers of 

 all horses should be well studied and understood before 

 undue exertion is exacted of, or cruelty inflicted on any 

 horse sent to be trained to a certain rate of speed for the 

 race or road. To prepare horses for severe exertion^ it is 

 a practice to cause the horse to sweat profusely in order to 

 make wind and limb fine. To this, when properly carried 

 out, we cannot object, but we do object to the severe exer- 

 tion exacted from the horse at the expense of nervous 

 energy, which should be possessed by every horse in order 

 to make a trotter of him. The hoods and heavy 

 blankets may all be necessary to cause sweating, but not 

 without exertion and injury to both feet and legs. All 

 this may be avoided by a judicious use of the Turkish 

 bath, thus saving the strength and scarcely disturbing or 

 causing an increased action of the heart. Indeed, the 

 sweating process is produced by the bath to any extent or 

 degree, without in the least aflfectiDg the powers of the 

 horse. This is the proper way to prepare horses for severe 

 exertion without injury. Repeated doses of aloes were, and 

 we believe are still used, for the preparation of the hunter 

 and racer in some establishments in Europe ; but this is 

 fast giving place to a heated box or Turkish bath, which 

 process will be treated of in another place, and to which 

 attention should be given. The extreme exertion demanded 

 from fome horses while under training is not only unneces- 



