208 THE HORSE. 



on a moderate allowance of hay and corn, the latter not exceeding 

 two feeds at first and three at the end of the month, the horse will 

 be ready by the middle of August to have a second dose of physic, 

 after which he may commence in earnest his first real preparation. 

 This also is chiefly confined to slow work, but if the horse is gross 

 he may have in the course of the four or five weeks to which it 

 extends one or two sweats of moderate length and speed. Great 

 caution must always be exercised by the groom at this time ; on no 

 account should any fast work be given, unless he is satisfied that 

 his horse is in perfect health and in good spirits. Every increase 

 in the food and work should be carefully watched, and its effects 

 noted, so as to guide him in deciding whether he can venture to 

 take another step. It must be remembered that hitherto the feeds 

 of corn have been only three quarterns of oats daily, and the exer- 

 cise has not extended beyond a walk; but during the next few 

 weeks the former must be doubled, or nearly so, and the latter must 

 go on into a daily slow trot of two or three miles on turf, with an 

 occasional steady gallop in place of this, and. as I have before 

 remarked, one or two sweats if the system is overloaded with fat. 

 But unless the hunter is very fleshy, nothing more than slow trots 

 and canters will be required until after the next dose of physic. 

 The increase in the quantity of corn will seldom tend to put on 

 fat, and as the amount of hay should be small, not exceeding lOlbs. 

 a day, unless the horse is gross in his nature, he will have put on 

 muscle, and lost some of the internal fat which is so prejudicial to 

 condition. 



The object of the sweating process is to remove super- 

 fluous fatty matters, which act prejudicially in a twofold manner. 

 In the first place the fat itself is so much dead weight to carry, 

 and on the calculation that seven pounds are equal to a distance in 

 an average length of race, it may readily be understood that the 

 huge quantity of adipose tissue, which is carried by a fat horse, 

 will, by its weight alone, retard any attempt at high speed. But, 

 not only is fat to be objected to on this score ; for it is also known 

 by experience, that its pressure on the important internal organs, 

 when it is deposited around them, interferes with the proper per- 

 formance of their several functions. The muscles of the limbs, 

 when they are marbled with fat, as we see them in the slaughtered 

 ox and sheep, are unable to contract vigorously, but when a simi- 

 lar condition occurs in the muscular tissue of which the heart is 

 composed, violent exertions are interdicted, or, if they are attempted, 

 thoy are attended with dangerous and often fatal results. Again, 

 it is ascertained that sweating has a local, as well as a general 

 effect, and that, by producing a copious discharge of fluid from the 

 Bkin covering any particular part, there will be a removal of any 

 superfluous fat which may be lodged beneath it, before the rest of 



