82 PINK AND SCARLET 



puffy legs and hot feet ; noiseless breathing during 

 a fair gallop, and scarcely perceptible breathing 

 when pulled up after it, instead of a noise like that 

 made by a wheezy organ during the gallop, and 

 heaving flanks and staring eye after it ; sweat like 

 clear drops of water instead of like shaving soap. 

 All these signs mean good condition or the 

 reverse. 



How is condition to be got ? 



The answer is, by plenty of good food, plenty of 

 slow steady work, and plenty of good grooming. 



Sir Frederick Fitzwygram tells us what is the 

 minimum amount of exercise required to keep a 

 stabled horse in health, i. e. two hours per day ; to 

 really conditioit, one to four hours are wanted. 

 Walking and trotting is all that is required, a hunter 

 gets all the galloping that he wants with hounds, 

 unless it be one or two short gallops (if he has not 

 had any cub-hunting) a day or so before the season 

 begins, just to get rid of any inside fat he may have 

 put on. 



One thing is advisable regarding exercise ; give 

 your soldier groom a strict order that he is never 

 to ride faster than a trot, and take steps to see that 

 he obeys this, and does not race with other grooms 

 for pots of beer, as is the way with some of them. 

 Insist also that he always exercises with knee-caps 

 on. Should a horse unaccountably remain in or get 

 into bad condition, it will be well to have his grinders 

 looked at by a veterinary surgeon, and also to find out 

 if he has got worms. A table-spoonful of cod-liver 



