INSTRUCTIONS FOR TRAINING. 407 



A horse when put in training should be fat : his exercise ought 

 to commence with walking about eight miles a day ; three in the 

 mornmg, two at twelve o'clock, and three in the evening. This 

 should be continued at least four weeks. * A liglit gallop of a mile 

 m the morning, should now be added, and at the end of a week, a 

 mile in the evening. In another week, half a mile more morning 

 and evening. He will now be in condition for his first sweat ; his 

 exercise may now be the same as the last week, except a " burst of 

 heels" once or twice in the week, of three or four hundred yards ; 

 at which time he will be ready for his second sweat. This given, 

 the horse should have, every other morning, a move of a quarter of 

 a mile ; this continued for a week, and his third sweat may be 

 given. • After this his exercise may be increased to two miles, morn- 

 ing and evening ; one mile of which (in the morning) should be at 

 half-speed, with a dash of a quarter every other morning, more or 

 less according to his appetite. The sweats should vary according 

 to the high or low condition of the animal. At the end of the 

 week, after the fourth sweat, he may, perhaps, require a draw,* and 

 another a day or two before he runs. I do not approve of physic, 

 ing generally ; when there is much grossness, or general bad health, 

 a purge may be necessary. Race-horses should be watered regu- 

 larly three times a day, in a clear brook, in the mornijig after exer- 

 cise, at twelve o'clock, and in the evening : after exercise walking 

 them until perfectly cool, previous to watering. They should be 

 fed with hominy and oats, (the first divested of its mealy particles,) 

 in the proportion of one of the first to two of the latter. Sometimes, 

 when the condition of the horse is low, he should be allowed a 

 greater proportion of hominy ; as horses when in training must 

 i^d well, every thing in the food way must be tried to make them 

 do so : as hominy alone, oats, corn in the ear, meal, cut oats, &c. 

 I once trained a mare, and ran her successfully, feeding her three 

 days in the week on meal with chopped or cut oats. They should 

 be fed five times a day : at day-break, after the morning exercise, 

 ft eleven o'clock, a little before the evening exercise, and at night : 

 one quart at first, three the second time, three at eleven o'clock, 

 one the fourth time, and three the last, with about nine pounds of 

 blades without picking, divided as the grain. Some horses eat more 

 than others, and should be allowed accordingly.! When there is 

 costiveness, sprinkling the fodder with water, or a mash must be 

 given : a bucket of salt and water is also sometimes useful. Sweat- 

 ing should be done by heavy clothing and gentle exercise, giving 

 the horse a swallow or two of water with a little meal stirred in it two 

 or three times during the sweat. To put a horse in order, at least twelve 

 weeks are necessary ; for a colt, nine weeks. A coh, to be in condition 

 to run a good race, should just be low enough to feel his ribs pretty 

 plainly, but they should not be seen : a horse should be much lower. 

 The usual preparation for a sweat is a mash at night, muzzled, hea 



* A very light sweat. 



t Particularly large horses : small horses sometimes will eat fourteen oi 

 fifieen quartsa day. I think thirteen enough fcr the latter — more is apt, I 

 think, to give them govty legs, &c. 



