RACE-COURSES 211 



holes with water, and killing the rats as they come to the 

 surface. 



The Indian sun bakes the earth hard, and seems to 

 burn up in a very short time whatever kind of manure is 

 put on it; so that nothing but constant picking up and 

 laying down litter, sand, or tan at least twice a year will 

 keep a galloping track in anything like good order. 



A track 5 ft. broad will be found to be quite wide 

 enough on which to work a horse by himself. 



By constant manuring, a thin layer of good soil will in 

 time be formed ; but if the course be neglected for even a 

 couple of years, it will become as hard as a turnpike road. 



The heau ideal of a galloping track is an elastic one, 

 that will not jar the joints and suspensory ligaments by 

 its hardness, strain the back tendons, or cause a horse to 

 hit himself by its stickiness, as on soft clay, or shorten 

 the stride and make it dwelling by deadness, as we find 

 with sand. 



A heavy course is particularly trying to a horse with 

 oblique, and a hard course to one with upright, pasterns. 

 Irregularities on the surface of the ground are a frequent 

 cause of sprain to tendons and ligaments. 



A galloping track such as I have mentioned, and 11- 

 mile round, will cost about Es. 400 a year to keep in 

 good going order. 



The periphery of a race-course, for big horses, should 

 not be less than 1\ mile. One of 5 furlongs will do for 

 small ponies. 



A distance is 240 yards. 



On a race-course where horses are trained, one should 

 erect a rubbing-down shed beyond the winning-post, and 



