206 THE HORSE. 



stabled for a very long time together and requires a change. In 

 the former case nothing but the muzzle will be of the slightest 

 service, but in the latter a run at grass, or soiling indoors for a 

 month or two, will remedy the disorder of the stomach. Rock salt 

 in the manger will sometimes have the desired effect, producing a 

 degree of thirst which will make dry litter distasteful. 



KICKING AND BITING savagely are marks of actual vice, and 

 scarcely come within the limits of the present section. Still the 

 groom must know how to guard against them in the best way, so 

 as to save himself from danger without unnecessarily punishing the 

 horse. There are some animals which cannot be effectually re- 

 strained without severity, but on the average, kindness and firm- 

 ness united will overcome any horse. Sometimes it is necessary 

 to put on the muzzle while the dressing is going on, but this is 

 chiefly because the skin is so irritable that the brush or whisp 

 excite sensations which lead to the use of the teeth or hind legs 

 to prevent their recurrence. In such cases as these Mr. Rarey's 

 method of subduing a savage horse is extremely valuable. 



PREPARATION FOR WORK. 



I HAVE ALREADY OBSERVED that these pages are not in- 

 tended to serve as a guide for the trainer of the race-horse, and 

 that they chiefly apply to the management of the hunter, hack, 

 and carriage-horse belonging to the private gentleman. The de- 

 scription of the mode of preparation for work will therefore include 

 the mode of fitting the hunter for his duties, and of getting the 

 hack and carriage-horse into condition, from the state in which 

 they are usually first brought into the stable, either from grass or 

 the dealer's hands. 



IN THE PRESENT DAY, THE HUNTER is prepared almost as care- 

 fully as the race-horse or steeple-chaser, when he is intended for 

 any of the grass countries. Nothing short of a regular preparation 

 will enable a horse to go through a fast thing in Northamptonshire 

 or Leicestershire, and no man in his senses would ride a horse 

 there in the front rank, unless he was thoroughly fit. The stud- 

 grooni, therefore, requires for his purpose a training-ground where 

 he can give his horses their sweats, without which it would be 

 impossible to get them into condition. A very large space is not 

 necessary, but a very small one will not suffice, the constant turning 

 incidental to a limited gallop producing a great strain upon the 

 joints. If possible a gallop measuring at least a mile and a half 

 or two miles in circumference should be obtained, and with this 

 length, including a moderate rise in its extent so as to open the 

 horse's pipes well at the finish of the sweat, it is the groom's fault 

 if his charge is not brought out thoroughly fit when the- hunting 

 season commences. Of course, when making this assertion, I am 



