HUNTIUa OOIfDITIOS'. 65 



Every intelligent groom knows from experience, the dif- 

 ficulties which attend the production of condition, and he also 

 knows the desirableness of retaining the state when produced, 

 no matter whether the horse in condition be much used or not. 



Formerly it was the invariable practice to turn every hunter 

 to grass, during the spring and summer months : observation, 

 however, has proved this practice to be decidedly injurious. The 

 organism of the hunter can be relaxed of its tension, and again 

 brought to the state required by other methods equally simple, 

 and in the end far more efficient to the living economy. 



The system generally pursued wiU. perhaps be the best 

 understood, if I furnish the reader with an outline descriptive 

 of the course usually followed in this department of equine 

 management. Let the reader suppose the hunting season over, 

 and every hunter belonging to any given establishment to be 

 in perfect health. The duties necessary to be performed, and 

 the results to be effected, are then, comparatively speaking, 

 light and easy. In the first place, he must further suppose it 

 desirable to slacken the tension of the organism of every animal 

 comprising the stud, for a period of from two or three months ; 

 at the end of which time it becomes agaiu necessary for every 

 horse to attain condition similar to what existed prior to its 

 relaxation. The priaciples held in view, and the methods 

 pursued, differ but slightly, and they may be enumerated as 

 follows : — 



About the month of May (or earlier, weather permitting), 

 every horse is turned at liberty within a paddock, and allowed 

 to partake freely of green food. In addition to which, each horse 

 will have at least two, and ia many instances three, feeds of oats 

 per diem, with hay ad libitum. The paddocks are well provided 

 with dry comfortable sheds, plentifully supplied with straw or 

 saw-dust. Into these sheds every animal is at liberty to go 



