164 TRAINING IN INDIA. 



brittle, friable, and devoid of any adherent slime. As 

 health is, above all others, the one essential condition, 

 without which it is impossible to get a horse fit, the 

 trainer should so regulate the food that the dung should 

 present a normal appearance, which is comparatively 

 easy to obtain in England where sound, heavy oats are 

 procurable ; but in India, where gram or barley often 

 has to be used, the task is much more difficult, always 

 considering the large amount of hard food that is 

 requisite for the utmost development of a horse's powers, 

 In cases where the digestion begins to become upset 

 by too highly stimulating a diet, the trainer should 

 diminish the quantity, and should further use means 

 to restore the functions to a healthy condition. With 

 this object in view, he may mix chopped hay through 

 the corn, or use, instead of it, from 1 to 2 Ibs. of 

 dry bran daily ; or give a few bran or bran and linseed 

 mashes. 



As a rule, as soon as a horse gets gradually into 

 strong work, he ought to have as much corn as he can 

 eat, provided the chief part of it be oats. 10 Ibs. will 

 be enough to commence on with an Australian, which 

 quantity may gradually be increased by 1 Ib. a week. 

 A full average amount will be : gram 4 Ibs., oats 14 Ibs.; 

 or gram 6 Ibs., parched barley 10 Ibs. In either case, 

 1 Ib. of suttoo may be given in the animal's drinking 

 water, as described on page 34. 



An Arab will eat from 2 Ibs. to 4 Ibs. less corn than 

 an Australian. 



Oats, gram, and barley should always be given quite 

 dry; the first should be bruised, and the other two 

 broken. I found the following food suited an old 



