every horse had his bucket of thick gruel
directly he came into the stable, and a little hay to eat whilst he was
being cleaned. We never gave any corn until just before littering down,
the last thing at night. The horse's legs were plunged into a high
bucket of warm water, and if dirty, soft soap was used. The first leg
being washed, was sponged as dry as possible, and then bandaged with
thick woollen bandages until the others were washed; the bandages were
then _removed entirely_, and the legs rubbed by hand until quite dry. We
used the best old white potato oats, weighing usually 45 lbs. per
bushel, but so _few beans_ that a quarter lasted us _a season_. The oats
were bruised, and a little sweet hay chaff mixed with them. We also
gave our horses a few carrots the day after hunting, to cool their
bodies, or a bran mash or two. They were never coddled up in hoods or
half a dozen rugs at night, but a single blanket sufficed, which was
never so tight but that you might thrust your hand easily under it. This
was a thing I always looked to myself, when paying a visit to the stable
the last thing at night. A tried horse should have everything
comfortable about him, but carefully avoid any tight bandage round the
body. In over-reaches or wounds, warm water was our first application,
and plenty of it, to clean all dirt or grit from the wound; then Fryer's
balsam and brandy with a clean linen bandage. Our usual allowance of
corn to each horse per diem was four quarterns, but more if they
required it, and from 14 lbs. to 16 lbs. of hay, eight of which were
given at night, at racking-up time, about eight o'clock. Our hours of
feeding were about five in the morning, a feed of corn, bruised, with a
little hay chaff; the horse then went to exercise. At eight o'clock, 4
lbs. of hay; twelve o'clock, feed of corn; two o'clock, 2 lbs. of hay;
four o'clock, corn; at six o'clock, another feed of corn, with chaff;
and at eight o'clock, 8 lbs. of hay; water they could always drink when
they wanted it."

I cannot conclude these hints on hunting more appropriately than by
quoting another of the songs of the Squire of Arley Hall, Honorary
Laureate of the Tarporley Hunt Club:--

"A WORD ERE WE START.

"The order of march and due regulation
That guide us in warfare we need in the chase;
Huntsman and whips, each his own proper station--
Horse, hound, and fox, each his own proper place.

"The fox takes precedence