l62 TRAINING IN INDIA 



The dung of a healthy horse should be fairly formed, 

 brittle, friable, and devoid of any adherent slime. As 

 health is, above all others, the one essential condition, 

 without which it is impossible to get a horse fit, the 

 trainer should so regulate the food that the dung should 

 present a normal appearance, which is comparatively easy 

 to obtain in England, where sound, heavy oats are pro- 

 curable ; but in India, where gram or barley often has to 

 be used, the task is much more difficult, always con- 

 sidering the large amount of hard food that is requisite 

 for the utmost development of a horse's powers. In cases 

 where the digestion begins to become upset by too highly 

 stimulating a diet, the trainer should diminish the quantity, 

 and should further use means to restore the functions to 

 a healthy condition. With this object in view, he may 

 mix chopped hay through the corn, or use, instead of it, 

 from 3 to 6 lbs. of dry bran daily. 



As a rule, as soon as a horse gets gradually into strong 

 work, he ought to have as much corn as he can eat, pro- 

 vided the chief part of it be oats ; 10 lbs. will be enough 

 to commence on with an Australian, which quantity may 

 gradually be increased by 1 lb. a week. A full average 

 amount will be : gram 4 lbs., oats 14 lbs. ; or gram 6 lbs., 

 parched barley 10 lbs. In either case, 1 lb. of suttoo may 

 be given in the animal's drinking water, as described on 

 page 35. 



An Arab will eat from 2 lbs. to 4 lbs. less corn than 

 an Australian. 



Oats, grain, and barley should always be given quite 

 dry; the first should be bruised, and the other two 

 broken. I found the following food suited an old 



