772 VETEEINARY HYGIENE 



Intervals of rest should be arranged for during the 

 exercise, especially when horses are very unfit. A halt of 

 ten or fifteen minutes every hour should be given ; later 

 on as the animals get harder the rest intervals may 

 be less, but under any circumstances a rest every two 

 hours is desirable. 



The exercise of each horse must be regulated according 

 to his strength ; signs of brushing or forging must be 

 looked for as indicating leg weariness, and the former 

 should in every case denote that less exercise must be 

 given. 



The animals should not be purposely sweated, the fat 

 will all come off with patience ; it is no use trying to 

 hurry horses into condition, it only defeats its own 

 object. 



Hacks and harness horses may be conditioned in about 

 two months, but no definite period can be laid down for any 

 animal, so much depends upon the personal equation. 



Horses intended for draught may in the course of a week 

 wear their harness at exercise in order to accustom them 

 to the friction ; in fact, the collar might be worn from the 

 beginning of their training, for the freedom of skin from 

 chafes is enormously influenced by condition, and the 

 sooner the collar is got on the better. 



Later, when draught work begins, it must at first be 

 steady, no loads, frequent rests, good roads selected ; places 

 like the shoulder and tail should be examined repeatedly 

 to see no friction is occurring, and in this way the animal 

 is gradually introduced to its work, which should begin 

 with a load every other day for a short distance. 



"We have not touched on the question of conditioning and 

 training horses for military purposes ; the principles are 

 identical with what have been previously considered, but 

 the details differ ; these will be considered in the chapter 

 on Military Hygiene. 



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