192 ON THE REARING 



into which to introduce the dam was said 

 to be certain death to the foal, though she 

 herself would be unharmed, and wax as fat 

 as a prize bullock. Limestone is considered 

 to be the best soil for young horses, as con- 

 ducive to the formation of bone. My ideal 

 run for a foal is a wild country like the 

 better parts of our western moorlands, the 

 slopes of the Welsh mountains, and lawns 

 of the New Forest, where the summer grass, 

 though short, is sweet and nutritious, while 

 the wide range affords abundant exercise, 

 and the broken nature of the ground makes 

 him quick and clever on his legs. On such 

 runs, particularly, of course, in the New 

 Porest, horses in bad weather find sufl&cient 

 shelter for themselves ; but, if the mare is 

 confined in a small enclosure, she should 

 have a shed or hovel * to run under. Very 



* The old-fashioned furze hovel, warm and dry, is as 

 good as anything, when some one can be found to build 

 it ; for this, like many another old-world and simple 

 thinK, is almost a lost art. 



