206 TEAINING IN INDIA. 



given for a couple of nights, and some green meat, 

 such as carrots or lucern, substituted for a part of the 

 corn. 



The amateur trainer will do well to study the marks 

 of good condition in the horse. Until by practice he 

 is able to recognise them, he need not hope for much 

 success in his efforts ; for to train well one must have 

 an educated eye to detect the minute graduations of 

 condition, and having acquired it, one will see at a 

 glance what each horse lacks. 



The most unerring sign of condition in an athlete 

 is the fact of his being able to go through hard work 

 without becoming thirsty. The horse trainer will also 

 find that as a horse gets fit, the avidity with which 

 he takes his water after his morning gallops will de- 

 crease ; and that staleness is almost always accom- 

 panied by more or less thirst. 



Training Ponies. Many ponies of 14 hands, and 

 even smaller, will stand as much training as big horses. 

 The famous 13.1 Arab pony, Blitz, was a case in point. 

 We shall generally find that the better bred (and con- 

 sequently bigger, as a rule) a pony is, the more work 

 will he bear. Blood English and Australian arid high- 

 caste Arab ponies may be trained according to the 

 principles and routine which I have indicated for 

 horses. 



For ordinary Country-bred ponies, six weeks' training 

 will generally be quite long enough, provided they 

 commence in hard working condition. As a rule, they 

 should not be galloped oftener than twice a week, nor 

 farther than half a mile, except when the distance they 

 have got to run is much longer, in which case they 



