86 PREPARATICN. 
to keep the horses warm whilst at exercise during the cold 
and windy month of March, by additional clothing, or walk- 
ing them at a brisk pace; or if this be not sufficient, a canter 
may be judiciously given at short intervals, and after the 
gallop another steady canter. Otherwise they are apt, if 
not certain, to take cold and be laid up the greater and best 
part of thesummer. These remarks apply with equal force to 
wet weather. If horses are not allowed to dawdle about, but 
kept moving whilst out almost to perspiring heat, and brought 
in comfortably warm, they will seldom catch cold from being 
kept out in such weather, or indeed take any other illness. 
On the other hand, as sure as they are allowed to mope about, 
¢, with their 
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or, worse by far, allowed to stand still, shiverin 
coats reversed, under the supposed friendly shelter of a hedge 
or plantation during the continuance of the storm, so sure are 
they to cough and have other ailments; brought about, I need 
not say, by mismanagement, aiming more at the comfort of 
the boys than the benefit of the horses. This practice should 
not be permitted under any pretence whatever. 
A striking proof of the harmlessness of exercising in wet 
weather may be given in the case of ¥oe Miller. For three 
consecutive weeks it rained incessantly, during which time 
he never missed a gallop, nor felt the worse for the deluge, as 
was shown by the ridiculous ease with which he won the 
Ascot Cup, when a part of the lower side of the course was 
submerged. His victory, indeed, as was abundantly proved 
both before and after, was less due to his own capacity than 
to the lack of exercise on the part of some of his opponents. 
But though no stress of weather, fog perhaps excepted, would 
prevent my galloping daily a horse near his race, ordinarily, 
in cold, wet and foggy weather, I let the bulk of the horses 
remain in the stables, but for not more than a couple of days 
