150 TRAINING IN INDIA. 



extra nutrition would but tend to deprive the muscles 

 used in galloping, of material for repair, and would 

 add unnecessary weight to be carried. No amount of 

 trotting or walking can prove an efficient substitute 

 for galloping, of which exercise the trainer should 

 endeavour to give his horses as much as possible, under 

 certain reservations, to which I shall presently allude. 

 In o^'der that fast work may be given with safety, 

 the horse should be gradually accustomed to it ; the 

 golden rule here being, that the length of a horse's 

 gallop should never exceed the distance which he can 

 go at the time being without his muscles becoming 

 fatigued, or which is the same thing without his 

 becoming " blown ; " for neither man or horse are ever 

 so "beat" as when they are "out of wind." In fast 

 work, the suspensory ligaments are particularly liable 

 to sprain. In my Veterinary Notes for Horse Owners 

 I have alluded to this point as follows "When the 

 horse is fresh and untired, the muscles to which the 

 perforans and perforatus tendons are attached, contract 

 with such, precision that the foot is 'picked' up (flexed) 

 before undue strain can fall on the suspensory liga- 

 ment ; in fact ; these tendons act as assistant braces 

 to it. But if the pace be continued, the horse will 

 ' dwell ' more and more in his stride, and as the two 

 muscles which move the tendons become gradually 

 fatigued, they also become unable to contract with 

 sufficient quickness to save the suspensory ligament 

 from undue strain. Besides this, the muscles get tired, 

 but the ligament does not experience the sensation of 

 fatigue ; hence the horse throws weight on the latter 

 to save the former. We may easily imagine how great 



