158 TRAINING IN INDIA. 



thin ; and, then, as his weight rises, his nerves will 

 regain their tone. 



I do not, for a moment, mean to say that the dis- 

 turbance of the equilibrium of the system, due to an 

 abnormal loss of fat, is the sole cause of a horse becom- 

 ing stale ; for I know well that the effects of over-work 

 and the feverishness induced by excitement and high 

 feeding, also tend to bring about that condition. But 

 I wish, simply, to impress on my readers the fact that- 

 a certain amount of fat, in the body of the horse, is 

 indispensable to the continued healthy action of his 

 nervous system, on which is dependent the exhibition 

 of all muscular force. Hence, we should avoid the 

 mistake of drawing a horse fine too soon, and should 

 endeavour to apportion his work in such a manner that 

 he will be " trained to the hour," knowing well that 

 it is impossible to keep him " wound up to concert 

 pitch," beyond a few days. 



When a horse, under ordinary conditions, is well fed 

 and little worked, there is not alone a quantity of 

 adipose tissue deposited in his system ; but also a certain 

 amount of infiltration of fat, in the form of distinct 

 drops, takes place in the cells of the different tissues, 

 and particularly in those of the liver. This fat, by 

 distending the cells, renders the muscles, liver, and 

 other involved structures, unfit to bear the strain of 

 violent and continued exertion. The object of training 

 is not alone to get rid of the retarding weight of a 

 quantity of useless fat, but also to eliminate the infil- 

 trated fat from tissues that are called into action during 

 work ; hence, when we sweat a horse, we do so in order 

 to remove from his system a certain amount of fat, 



