122 TRAINING. 



day's routine, which is to be adhered to with but little 

 variation so long as he is training. 



About one morning in every seven should be a 

 holiday, and Sunday will be a fitting one. Let the 

 walk take place at daybreak, as usual, the saddle be- 

 ing above the clothing ; and whilst out give* free scope 

 to his play, and allow him to gape, yawn, move about, 

 and halt at his pleasure. The neck is neither now, 

 nor at #ny other time, to be kept constrained with a 

 martingale, which impedes the free action of the fore- 

 legs, and causes tripping. This annoying rein is 

 sometimes resorted to to keep the horse's head in its 

 proper place, and steady ; but oftener because the 

 rider is unable to keep his own in its proper place, 

 and steady. Unless to a bolter, or a ewe-necked de- 

 termined stargazer, a martingale should never be 

 used. English young colts, half-broken, may require 

 different kinds of reins and martingales, but a decent 

 rider can dispense with them all upon an Arab. 



TRAINING WEIGHT, PHYSIC, EXERCISE, ETC. 



You should always train with as near the weight 

 as possible that he is to carry in the race ; never more 

 then an extra half stone, and that is half a stone too 

 much for a slight horse. A strong-legged, straight- 

 spined, high caste animal may not prove the worse 

 for it, but a slighter horse will have his stride 

 shortened an inch in the course of three months, 

 and an inch in every stride will make two or three 

 lengths at the end of a race/'' 5 " You ought also 



* There are very few Arabs in India whose owner's weigh above ten and a 

 half stone, that have not their action in some degree hurt ; and a light weight, 

 who is conscious of the nimble active step of a perfectly fresh nag, would de- 

 tect at once a kind of shortened step, or slight deficiency of spring. By a 

 perfectly fresh nag, I mean a horse that has been taken care of so long as he 



