228 MODERN FARIIIER. 



sifted be given him. If he eats up this with an ap- 

 petite, he sJiould have more given him ; but if he is- 

 slow and indifferent about it, he must have no more. 

 The business is to give him enough, but not to cloy 

 him with food. If the horse gets flesh too fast on 

 this home feeding, he is not to be stinted to prevent 

 it, but only his exercise increased ; this will take 

 down his flesh, and at the same time give him 

 strenfith and wind. 



After the feeding in the morning, the usual me- 

 thod is to shut up the stable, only leaving him a 

 little hay on his litter. He need be no more looked 

 at till one o'clock, and then only rubbed down, and 

 left again to the time of his evening watering, which 

 is four o'clock in the summer and three in the win- 

 ter. When he has been watered, he must be kept 

 out an hour or two, or more if necessary, and then 

 taken home and rubbed as after the morning water- 

 ing. Then he is to liave a feed of corn at six o'clock, 

 and another at nine at night ; and being then clean- 

 ed, and his litter put in order, and hay enough left 

 for the niglit, he is to be left till the morning. This 

 is the direction for one day, and in this manner he 

 is to be treated every day for a fortnight ; at the 

 end of which time his flesh will be so hardened, his 

 wind so improved, his mouth so quickened, and his 

 gallop brought to so good a stroke, that he will be 

 fit to put to moderate hunting. 



In order to strengthen a hunter, when subject to 

 violent and frequent exercise, some recommend to 

 give some old split beans at every feeding with oats ; 

 and others think the crumbs of bread made of beans 

 and wheat flour, and given once a day, an excellent 

 metliod for preserving the appetite. The day be- 

 fore the horse is to hunt, it will be found much 

 better to give a little bread with the oats than beans, 

 which are rather hard of digestion. 



