3 88 SUMMERING HUNTERS. 



ledge that sheep can live for months without water is apt to 

 make an ordinary yokel somewhat callous about the drinking 

 requirements of horses. A run on soft damp grass, with no 

 more food than the animal can pick up, is good treatment for 

 inflamed ligaments, tendons and bones ; and is certainly a 

 benefit to his organs of breathing. These advantages, how- 

 ever, will be obtained at the expense of his working condi- 

 tion, to regain which he will require several months of hard 

 feeding and strong exercise that cannot be given without 

 taxing the soundness of his limbs. Besides this, horses on 

 grass or in a straw yard during summer cannot fail to be- 

 come filled with bots (p. 348), and, if docked, to go through 

 a vast amount of irritation from flies. Hence, I would not 

 turn a horse out to grass or in a straw yard, unless economy 

 was of more importance than the animal's health and strength. 

 If the state of his limbs was so bad as to necessitate a long 

 rest, there would of course be no chance of hunting him next 

 season in fast company, although he might do well enough 

 for slow work. I would therefore discard all these old 

 methods of summering sound hunters, except when saving 

 money was the first consideration. Besides, the treatment of 

 unsoundness could be carried out better in a stable, than if 

 the horse was at grass. Soiling in a loose box might be 

 applicable to an infirm animal, which, to get a fair chance of 

 recovery, would as a rule require more treatment than merely 

 standing still and eating green food. 



Before turning a horse out to grass, it is as well to take off 

 his shoes, and then rasp round the ground surface of the feet, 

 so as to prevent the walls from splitting. It is generally 

 more important to uncover the hind feet than the fore, be- 

 cause the former suffer more from thrush than the latter, 

 they are more resistant to wear, and are more likely to inflict 

 injury by kicking. When the shoes are taken off, or when 

 tips are substituted for shoes, the question of adjustment of 



