198 TEAINING IN INDIA. 



corn should be diminished by one-half, and only 

 walking exercise allowed. 



During the third month of the preparation, the 

 horse, if an Australian or English animal, may at 

 first be sent a mile at about half speed, say in 

 2 m. 45 s., the time and distance being gradually 

 improved until he does l miles in, say, 2 m. 35 s. , 

 which would be about conventional three-quarter 

 speed. The short spin once a week may now be 

 gradually increased to one of three quarters of a mile. 

 During the last month of training, the spin may be dis- 

 continued and a long gallop substituted, or an extra 

 day's rest, in the middle of the week, according as the 

 horse is found to stand his work. The speed of the 

 regular ! mile gallops may be gradually increased, up 

 to the beginning of the last fortnight, to within 6 

 or 7 sec. of full speed ; and no sweat should be given 

 later than this. During the last fortnight, the trainer 

 should be most careful not to overwork his horse 

 though he ought to wait till then before fully extending 

 him. Two Sundays' rest, another day's extra rest 

 between the fast work, with perhaps a day's hacking, 

 two long slow gallops, six or seven fast ones, to be run 

 at nearly, if not quite, full speed, and gradually working 

 up to the distance that has to be run ; a slow canter 

 for three quarters of a mile, on the day before the race ; 

 and the race day itself will be a judicious division of 

 the last fortnight. The fast gallops should not be 

 given by racing horses against each other; for a very 

 little of that kind of work will go a long way. 



I have endeavoured, by using approximate times for 

 the gallops, to give a general idea of what would be 



