28 



THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



and gave him less work and less com, he might 

 do very well, and look well, but he would not be 

 in the condition our friend the butcher had him. 

 With the same feeding and less work he would 

 get fat, foul, good for little, and perhaps either 

 vicious or sluggish ; with less corn and the same 

 work he would become thin, dispirited, and de- 

 bditated ; with the same corn and work, and bad 

 care, he would get colds, swelled legs, inflamed 

 lungs, farcy — in short, out of condition in every 

 way. The butcher's horses were treated in the 

 precise way to keep them in the highest state of 

 health and condition, and whoever had bought 

 them, the more or less he departed from the same 

 way, the more or less would they lose tip-top con- 

 dition — that is, such condition as is in all cases 

 necessary to horses called on to exhibit both speed 

 and lasting quality. This is not, of course, 

 necessary to all horses; but whatever the horse's 

 business may be, to enable him to do that with 

 ease to himself and owner, he should be in the 

 best possible condition for the work he has to 

 perform; in fact his condition, and consequent 

 capability, should be such as to qualify him for 

 greater exertion than he is daily called upon to 

 perform, if we wish him to do his ordinary work 

 pleasantly to himself and to his owner. Although 

 I regret to say there are not so many kind horse- 

 masters in the world as the animal deserves, still 



