248 THE HORSE. 



son's hounds in Dorset, about three years since, when 

 out of a held of seventy horses, five only were in with 

 the hounds when they ran the fox to earth, these five 

 had been summered abroad. A hunter become very 

 stale in his limbs, from work, may be stripped and 

 turned off early and fed abroad, the spring grass not 

 being ready. In the fly season, convenience admit- 

 ting, he may be sheltered by day, should that appear 

 necessary. A horse, indeed, must have an inclosure 

 to himself, but the geldings and mares used in the 

 field, I apprehend form a great majority. Suppose 

 the hunter taken up on the first of August, he 

 will have a month to get through his physic, and 

 two months' exercise, since there is seldom much 

 doing in the field until the beginning of November, 

 excepting, perhaps a little cub hunting ; and the 

 commencement of the season frequently proves to be 

 nothing more than good training for the hunter ; 

 but even should a severe run then occur, he would 

 not be caught unprepared after two months' constant 

 and regular exercise. Or a hunter turned off in 

 March, and fed, may be taken up at Midsummer. 

 The old notion of a horse loosing his " hard meat," 

 accumulated in the stable, from the purgative effects 

 of the grass, takes no credit here, as invariable expe- 

 rience has shown. So liable is the horse to be stuffed 

 and confined in his intestines, while at dry and hard 

 food, that the change appears to be generally benefi- 

 cial ; and I hold that, after such thorough cleansing, 

 two or three months of hard meat will impart equal 

 •strength and superior activity and energy, to any 

 length of previous stable keep. The late advocates 



