Book II.] MARKHAM'S BOOK ON HORSES. 109 



In Chapter IV. our author divulges "The secrets 

 and Art of trayning, and dietting the Horse, for a 

 course : which we commonly call running Horses." 

 After contrasting the steeple-chaser with the racer, and 

 pointing out the difference between the former and 

 a horse whose shape, countenance, and demeanour 

 " promiseth assurance of great swiftness," with its 

 owner addicted only to the " pleasure and exercise " 

 of the Turf, it is necessary, in the first place, to see 

 that being fair and fat, when taken from grass, he is 

 in all points of diet, dress, and order alluded to under 

 the rules and regulations set down and observed in 

 training the chaser. For the space of three weeks or 

 a month he should be fed on wheat-straw and oats. 

 Then hay was substituted for the straw, and bread 

 had to be provided, " which bread shall be made thus : 

 Take a strike of beans, two pecks of wheat, and one 

 peck of rye, grind these together, sift them and knead 

 them with water and bran, and so bake them thoroughly 

 in great loaves, as a peck in a loaf : and after they are 

 a day old at the least your horse may feed on them, 

 but not before." The orthodox sheeting, exercises, 

 etc., are then set forth in detail. These we need 

 not recapitulate here ; suffice it to say that when 

 within a fortnight of the date of the race many quaint 

 and exacting duties have to be promptly done and 

 performed. 



" Now, lastly," observes our author, in conclusion 

 of this remarkable chapter, " as touching the day in 

 which your Horse must runne for your wager, thus 

 shall you use him : First, the night before, you shall 



