THE HORSE. 255 



prietors to concur in advocating the opposite prac- 

 tice ; and the same rule operates with regard to our 

 countrymen in India, where both the soil and climate, 

 not to forget the incessant torture inflicted by myriads 

 of insects, must absolutely interdict the old British 

 practice ; I have never been upon our northern con- 

 tinent in the summer, but have always understood, 

 that in every part, the fly alone is an effectual bar to 

 the exposure of horses abroad in that season. It must, 

 however, not be forgotten in our summering, that our 

 sixteenersy and lofty shouldered horses are necessarily 

 bad grazers, and must not be turned upon a sheep 

 pasture, but upon a full ox-bite of sweet and whole- 

 some, not rank and coarse herbage j and if needful, 

 grass, natural or artificial, lucerne or melilot, should 

 be cut, and placed in racks in the field. A reserve of 

 carrots also, for hunters out of work, and waiting for 

 the spring grass, is an excellent resource ; they are, as 

 has been said, nutritious, at the same time, alterative, 

 cooling, and diuretic. The general stable routine, 

 as to essentials among our superior and sporting pro- 

 prietors of horses, is much the same, whether for 

 racers, hunters, or hacks. The hunter on going out, 

 should on no account, be denied a reasonable quan- 

 tity of water, which may be his whole day's supply ; 

 nor should he, especially if he have a long walk to 

 covert, be too empty. There were in former days, 

 when it was the rule to starve horses such a number 

 of hours before hand, dreadful instances of debility 

 from inanition, est modus in rebus. After a hard 

 day's work, and especially should the horse be mate- 

 rially affected by it, every regular groom knows the 

 use and efficacy of mashes with oats or malt, and 



