EVERY MAN HIS aWN TRAINER. 27 



been greatly benefited by this treatment. Towards night 

 walk him out for an airing ; let him eat grass ten or fifteen 

 minutes ; then put him in and give him his supper and bid 

 him good night. This meal should be of soft feed, say fine 

 ships, wet up with cold water with a handful of salt in it ; 

 this will keep his bowels open and cooled out and in good 

 condition for his work next time. 



I do not approve of hot mashes when a horse is well. 

 When a horse is sick, it is many times necessary to give him 

 a hot mash to steam out his head and throat and warm him 

 up in case of a bad cold or other sickness ; but when a horse 

 is well, let well enough alone. I have had horses in good 

 health which became sick, that is to say, took cold from the 

 steam and heating propensities of a hot mash ; it opened the 

 pores and they contracted a cold on their next exposure to a 

 colder temperature or on giving them a drive. Throw away 

 hot mashes, soaking tubs and blanket sweats, for they have 

 been proved an injury and have been abandoned by all 

 first-class trainers for years. It is well enough if a hoise is 

 high in flesh and his neck heavy, so as to effect his breathing, 

 to use a short hood, say half way down his neck ; drive him 

 two- or three miles and his neck will sweat freely ; then re- 

 move it, scrape out the water and dry his neck out. This 

 should not be used only for a short, sharp drive, as I have 

 known a horse that was given a long drive with a heavy hood 

 on to scald his mane and cause it to drop out. Twice a week 

 is often enough to use the sweat hood. When you do use it, 

 select a warm, pleasant day, and not a cold day, as you would 

 not get much sweat, and it would expose your horse and he 

 would be liable to take cold from it. 



If you have a horse with a large amount of flesh on the 

 ribs which you must remove quickly on account of a neces- 

 sary hurried preparation, take two salt sacks, sew one end to- 

 gether, wet it in soft rain water, wrap it around the body be- 

 tween the hip and shoulder ; over that put a large, heavy 

 woolen blanket, folded about the width of the salt sack, pin 



