PUBLIC COURSING. 355 



not' develop the wind sufficiently, and, if it is adopted, it must 

 be aided by slipping the dogs as well. Horse-exercise is chiefly 

 confined to countries where the courses are very long and severe, 

 and where also much of the work can be given on turf, so that 

 it is only in down countries that it is very available, but there 

 it is almost essential to full success in training the greyhound.- 

 The amount of this kind of exercise which a greyhound of 

 stout blood will take with advantage is very great, and it is 

 sometimes more than one horse will be able to lead ; but this 

 is not often the case. Few greyhounds will be the better for 

 more than fifteen miles every other day, and this is quite 

 within the compass of a horse's powers, especially when it is 

 considered that not more " than two or three miles of this dis- 

 tance should be at the gallop. But the great object of horse- 

 exercise is not to produce a fast pace, so much as to insure a 

 sufficiency of slow work; for there are few trainers who will 

 walk fifteen or sixteen miles a day on foot, and yet in order 

 to keep the dogs out for four hours they ought to do so. A 

 certain amount of road-work is essential to the hardening of 

 the feet, but this should be commenced two or three months 

 prior to the time of training, as it cannot be done without 

 time to cause the growth of the thick horny matter which 

 covers the sole of the foot. If, therefore, horse-exercise is to 

 be adopted, it is better to commence it two or three months 

 before the meeting for which the dog is to be trained, and 

 after giving him two or three days a week, up to within a fort- 

 night of the time, discontinue it, and proceed to develop the 

 highest degree of wind, by slipping the dog to its trainer's call. 

 A short gallop of a couple of miles on turf will be nearly as 

 beneficial, but the long dragging road-work, which will serve 

 to prepare the dog earlier in his training, is now to be die- 



