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back in his stable by three or four o'clock, thus getting him into his 

 work by degrees. A severe run or long, fatiguing day before a horse is 

 quite fit does more harm than five such when he is fit. 



Don't give beans till he begins regular hunting, as they are very 

 stimulating and heating ; they should be given crashed and never be 

 less than two years old. 



Of all the requisites for getting through a long and severe run with 

 hounds, there is nothing more essential to the horse than condition. 

 It takes a long time to get him thoroughly fit, hence it is that as a 

 rule horses under five years old are seldom found at the end of a severe 

 run, simply because those younger have nob had sufficient time to get 

 into tip-top condition ; they crack up when the pinch comes, no 

 matter how game, clever, or well-bred they may be, or despite how 

 artistically they may be ridden. The Grand National, since it was 

 established in 1839, has never been won by a four-year-old, was won 

 only four times by a five-year-old, and twelve times by a six-year-old. 

 How foolish, therefore, is a man when he thinks he can have satisfac- 

 tion with a horse, not to speak of a stud, which he buys just before 

 the hunting season — unless he happens to buy out of a stable of old- 

 seasoned horses, which, obviously, he seldom gets the chance of. 



There are a great many, and first-flight men too, who don't care 

 about riding seasoned hunters, but my experience has shown me that 

 it is after he has become " aged " that a horse attains his prime. It 

 is then he has taken his degree with hounds, and it is then, after years 

 of good hard feeding, he has acquired the condition requisite to carry 

 him through a trying run and sustain a long day's fasting. 



I think the age of a horse may, like a man's, be divided into seven 

 stages, and I compare the two as follows : — 



Foals and 4-year-olds to children and schoolboys 

 Horses of 4 to 5 years old to youths of 18 to 20 



A man for hard work is in his prime between the age of 30 and 40, 

 a horse from 7 to 11, provided that each have had fair play in their 

 youth. 



Of course hunters must be clipped, but the hair to above the knees 

 and hocks should be left on to protect the legs from injury. So should 

 the part under the saddle. Then if the saddle fits, is properly stufifed, 

 and a leather-cloth used, the danger of sore backs is reduced to a 

 minimum, provided the saddle be not removed till the perspiration 

 has completely dried up. 



Shoeing is a source of great trouble at times, and there is nothing 

 to which a man should pay more attention, for there is not one 



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