The first ordering of the Running Horse , according to the several estates of their Bodies .

WHen a Horse is matched ( or to be matched ) for a runing Course , you are principally to regard the estate of the Body , in which the Horse is at the time of his matching , and this estate of body I divide into three several kinds .

1. The first is , if he be very fat , foul , and either newly taken from grass or soil . 2 , The second , if he be extreme lean and poor , either through over-riding , disorder , or other in firmity . 3. The third , if he be in a good and well liking estate , having had good usage and moderate exercise .

If your Horse be in the first estate of his body , you shall take longer time for matching , keeping , and bringing into order , as two Moneths at the least , or more , as you can conclude your wager .

If your Horse be in the second estate of Body , that is , very poor , then you shall also take as long time as you may , yet you need not so much as in the former , both because grease cannot much offend , and exercise may go hand in hand with feeding .

If your Horse be in the third estate of Body , ( which is a mean betwixt the other extremes ) thena Moneth or six weeks may be time sufficient to diet him for his Match .

Now as you regard these general estates of bodies ; so you must have an eye to certain particular estates of bodies : as if a Horse be fat and foul , yet of free and spending nature , apt quickly to consume and lose his flesh ; this Horse must not haue so strict an hand , neither can he endure so violent excercise , as he that is of a hard disposition , and will feed and be far upon all meats and all exercises .

Again , if your Horse be in extreme poverty , through disorder or misusage , yet is by nature very hard and apt , both soon to recover his flesh , and long to hold it ; then over this Horse you shall by no means hold so liberal and tender an hand , nor forbear that excercise , which otherwise you would do to the Horse , which is of a tender nature , a weak stomack , and a free spirit . Provided always , you haue regard to his limbs , the imperfection of his lameness .

Thus you see how to look into the Estates of Horses Bodies , and what time to take for your matchings .

I will now descend to their several orderings and dietings , and because in the fat Horse , is contained both the lean Horse , and the Horse in reasonable estate of Body , I will in him shew all the secrets and observations , which are to be imployed in the dieting and ordering of all three , without any omission or reservation whatsoever . For truth , Sir , I have Vowed unto you , and truth I will present you .

How to diet an Horse for a Match , that is fat , foul , and either newly taken from Grass or Soil , being the first Fortnight .

IF you match an Horse that is fat and foul either by runing at Grass , or standing at Soil , or any other means of rest , or too high keeping , you shall for the first fortnight at least rise early in the morning before day , or at the spring of day , according to the time of the year , and having put on his Bridle washt in Beer , and tyed to the Rack , take away the dung and other foulness of the Stable , then you shall dress the Horse exceeding well , that is to say ,

You shall first curry him all over from the head to the tail , from the top of the shoulder to the knee , and from the top of the buttock to the hinder cambril ; then dust him all over , either with a clean dusting cloth , or with an horses tayl , or such like thing , made fast to an handle , then curry or rub him all over with the French brush , beginning with his forehead , temples and cheeks , so down his neek , shoulders , and fore-legs , even to the setting on of his hoofs , so along his sides , and under his belly ; and lastly , all about his buttocks , and hinder legs , even to the ground . Then you shall go over all those parts which the brush hath touched with your wet hand , and not leave , as near as you can , one loose hair about him , nor one wet hair ; for what your hands did wet , your hands must rub dry again : you shall also with your wet hands cleanse his sheath , his yard , his stones or cods , and his Tuel ; and in dead not leave any secret place uncleansed , as ears , nostrils , fore-bowels , and between his hinder thighs . Then you shall take an haircl-oth , and with it rub the Horse all over in every part , but especially his face , eyes , cheeks , between the chops , on the top of his forehead , in the nape of the neck , and down his legs , fetlocks , and about his pasterns .

Lastly , You shall take a clean woollen cloth , and with it you shall rub the Horse oll over , beginning with his head and face , and so passing through every part of the Horses body or limbs , which hath been before mentioned ; then take a wet Mane-comb , and come down mane and tail . When this work is finished , take a fair large body-cloth , of thick warm housewives Kersey ▪ ( if it be in the winter season , or of fine corten , or other light stuff , if it be in the Summer season ) and fold it round about the Horses body ; then clap on his Saddle , and girt the foremost girth pretty strait , and the other girth somewhat slack , and wisp it on each side the Horses heart , that both the girths may be of equal straitness , then put before his breast a warm breast-cloth , and let it cover both his shoulders .

When the Horse is thus accoutred and made ready , you shall take a little beer into your mouth and spirt it into the Horses mouth , and so draw him out of the Stable , and take his back , leaving some ordinary Groom behind you , to trim up your stable , to carry forth dung , and shake and toss up your litter . For you are to understand , and it is a general principle , that your Horse must stand upon good store of fresh dry Litter continually , both night and day , and it must ever be of Wheat-straw , if possible , or Oat-straw , if forced by necessity . As for Barley-straw , and Rye-straw , they are both un wholesome and dangerous , the one doth heart-burn , the other causeth scowring .

When you are thus mounted , you shall walk forth your Horse foot pace , ( which we call racking ) for you must neither amble , nor trot , at least a mile or two , or more , upon smooth and sound ground , and as near as you can to the steepest hils you can find : there gallop your Horse very gently up those steep hils , and rack or walk him softly down , that he may cool as much one way , as he warmeth another . And when you have thus exercised him a pretty space then seeing the Sun beginning to rise , or prettily risen , you shall walk your Horse down either to some fresh River , or some clear Pond that is fed with a sweet Spring , and there let your Horse drink at his pleasure .

After he hath drunk , you shall gallop and exercise him moderately as you did before ; then walk him a pretty space , and after offer him more water : If he drink , then gallop him again ; if he refuse , then gallop him to occasion thirst ; and thus always give him exercise both before and after water .

When he hath drunk ( as you think sufficiently ) then bring him home gently , without a wet hair about him : when you are come to the stable door ( before which your Groom shall throw all his foul litter continually from time to time ) you shall there alight from his back , and by whistling stretching the Horse upon the straw , and arising the straw up under the Horse , see if you can make him Piss , which if at first he do not , yet with a little custome he wil soon be brought unto it , and it is an wholsom action , both for the Horses health , and for the cleanly keeping of the stable .

When these things are performed , you shall then bring the Horse into his stall ; and first tye his head up to the rack in his bridle , then with hard wisps rub all his four legs down with as great strength as you can , then unloose his brest-cloth ; rub his head , neck , and breast , exceeding much with a dry cloth : then take of his Saddle , and hang it by ; and after take of his Body-cloth ; then rub over all the Horses body and limbs , especially his back where the Saddle stood ; and then clothe him up first with alinnen sheet , then over it a good strong housing-cloth , and a bove it his woollen body-cloth , which in the winter is not amiss to have lined with some thin cotten , or other woollen stuff , but in the heat of Summer the Kersey it self is sufficient .

When you have girt these Clothes about him , stop his sursingle round with reasonable big , soft , and thick wisps ; for with them he will lye at best ease , because the small hard wisps are ever hurtful .

After your Horse is thus clothed up , you shall then pick his feet , and stop them up with cow-dung , and then throw in to his racka little bundle of hay , so much as a half-penny bottle in a dear Inn , well dusted , and hard bound up together , and this he shall tear out as he standeth on his bridle .

After the Horse hath stood on his bridle more than an hour , or an hour and half , you shall then come to him , and first rub his head , face , and the nape of his neck with a clean rubber , made of new rough hempen cloth , for this is excellent for the head , and dssolveth all gross and filthy humours , and then you shall draw his bridle , and with a very clean cloth make the manger so clean as may be ; and if he hath scattered any hay therein , you shall gather it up and throw it back into his rack ; then you shall take the quantity of a quart , or better , of sweet , dry , old , and clean dressed Oats , of which the heaviest and the whitest are the best , as those which we call the Poland Oats , or the cut Oats , for those only are wholesome , the other which are unsweet breed infirmity , those which are moist cause swelling in the body , those which are new breed worms , and pain in the belly , and they which are half dressed deceive the stomack , and bring the Horse to ruine . As for theblack Oats , though they are tolerable in the time of necessity , yet they make full dung , and hinder a mans knowledg , in the state of the Horses body .

This quart of Oats you shall put into a Sieve that is somewhat less than a Riddle , and a thought bigger then a Reeing Sieve , such a one as will let a light Oat go through , but will keep a ful Oat from scattering . In this Sieve you shall ree , dress , and toss your Oats very much , that there may be neither dust , nor any other foul thing in them : And so give them to the Horse to eat , and if he eat them with a good stomack , you may then sift , and give him as much more ; and so let him rest , till it be near eleven of the clock . Then come to the stable again , and having rubbed the Horses head , neck , and face , you shall then take another quart or better of Oats , and as before , toss and ree them through your Sieves , and so give them the Horse . Then closing up your windows and light , that the Horse may remain so dark as is possible , leave him til one of the clock . And here you are to understand that the darker you keep your Horse in your absence , the better it is , and it will occasion him to feed , lye down and take his rest , where otherwise he would not . And therefore we commonly use to arm the stals , wherein those Horses stand , round about , and aloft , and over the rack , with strong Canvas , both for darkness , warmth , and that no filth may come near the Horse .

At one a clock or thereabouts , come to the Horse again , and sift and dress him another quart of Oats , as before shewed , and give them him : after you have rubbed well his face , head , and nape of the neck , then putting away his dung and making the stable clean and sweet , give him a little knob of hay , and so leave him till four of the clock in the evening , if it be in the Summer ; after three , if it be in the Winter and short season .

At four a clock in the evening come again to the Stable , and having made all things clean , then bridle up the Horse , having wet the snaffle with beer , and tyed him up to the rack , then take off his clothes and dress him in all points , and every way as was shewed you in the morning . After he is dressed , then clothe and saddle him , as was also shewed for the morning : then bring him forth , and do your best to make him piss and dung upon the foul Litter at the stable door : then mount his back ▪ and ride him forth , as you did in the morning , but not to the hils , if possible you can find any other plain and level ground , as Meadow , Pasture , or any other earth , especially if it lye along by the River . But in this case you can be no chooser , but must take the most convenient ground you can find , to make a vertue of necessity . There air your Horse in all points in the Evening , as you did in the Morning , galloping him both before and after his water , then racking him gently up and down , in your raking you must observe even from the Stable door in all your passages , especially when you would have your Horse to empty himself , to let him smell upon every old and new dung you meet with all , for this will make him empty his body , and repair his stomack .

After you have watered your Horse , and spent the Evening in airing till within night , ( for nothing is more wholsome or sooner consumeth foulness than early and late airings ) you shall then air him home to the Stable door , there alight , and whatsoever you did in the morning either within doors or without , do the same also now at night , and so leave the Horse on his bridle an hour or an hour and an half . Then come to him again , and as you did in the fore-noon , sodo now , rub well , draw his bridle , cleanse the manger , put up his scattered hay , sift him a quart and better of oats , and give them him and so let him rest till nine of the clock at night .

At nine of the clock at night , which is bedtime both for your Horse and your self , come unto him , and first rub down his legs hard with hard wisps , then with a clean cloth rub his face , head , chaps , nape of the neck and fore-parts . Then turn up his clothes , and rub over his fillets , buttocks , and hinder parts : then put down his clothes , and sift him a quart of Oats , and give them him . Then put into his Rack a little bundle of hay ( as hath been before shewed ) toss up his Litter and make his bed soft , and so betake both him and your self to your rests till the next morning .

The next morning ( as the morning before ) come to the Horse before day , or at the break , according to the season of the year , and do every thing , without the omission of any one particular , as hath been formerly declared .

And thus you shall keep your Horse constantly for the first fortnight ; in which by this double daily exercise you shall so harden his flesh , and consume his foulness , that the next fortnight ( if you be a temperate man ) you may adventure to give him gentle heats .

Now touching his heats , you are to take to your self these four Considerations .

FIrst , That two heats in the week is a sufficient proportion for any Horse of what condition or state of body soever .

Secondly , That one heat should ever be given upon that day in the week on which he is to be run his match . As thus , for Example .

If your match is to be run upon the Munday , then your fittest heating days are Mundayes and Fridayes , and the Munday to be ever the sharper heat ; both because it is the day of his match , and there is three days respite betwixt it and the other heat .

If the match-day be on the Tuesday , then the heating days are Tuesdays and Saturdays .

If it be on Wednesday , then the heating dayes are Wednesdayes and Saturdayes by reason of the Sabbath .

If on the Thursday , then the heating dayes are Thursdayes and Mundayes , and so of the rest .

Thirdly , you shall give no heat ( except in case of extremity ) in very rainy and foul weather ; but rather to differ hours , and change times , for it is unwholesome and dangerous . And therefore in case of showers and uncertain weather , you shall be sure to provide for your Horse a warm lined hood with linnen ears , and the nape of the neck lined to keep out rain , for nothing is more dangerous than cold wet falling into the ears , upon the nape of the neck and the fillets .

Fourthly and lastly , Observe to give your heats ( the weather being seasonable ) as early in the morning as you can , that is , by the spring of the day : but by no means in the dark , for it is to the Horse unwholesome and unpleasant , to the man a great testimony of folly , and to both an act of danger and precipitation .

The second Fortnight's keeping .

NOw to descend to your second Fortnight's keeping ; touching your first approach to the Stable and all other by-respects , as cleansing , shaking up of Litter , and the like , you shall do all things as in the first fortnight . Only before you put on his Bridle , you shall give him a quart or better , of clean sifted Oats , which as soon as he hath eaten , you shall then bridle him up , and dress him in all points , as was declared in the first fortnight , you shall clothe him , saddle him , air , water , and bring him home in all points , as in the first fortnight ; only you shall not put any Hay in his Rack to tear out , but only draw with your hand as much fine sweet Hay ( which you shall toss and dust well ) as you can well gripe , and let him as he standeth on the bridle tear it out of your hand , which if he do greedily and earnestly , then you may give him another and another , and so let him stand on the bridle an hour or more after . Then come to him , and after rubbing and other ceremonies , before declared , performed ; sift and dust up the quantity of a quart of Oats , and set them by : Then take a loaf of bread , that is at least three dayes old , made after this manner ,