I have never been at Newmarket, and have had so little to do with race-horses that I can not say much about them. The few remarks I here make, are not derived from extensive personal observation, and I am not sure that my authorities know any more about the matter than myself. The account which I offer of what is, and of what should be, in the feeding of racers, can not be the same as if it had been written at the headquarters of racing. I would not have either the theories or the practice much trusted in.

It seems that race-horses, when in work, live chiefly upon oats, beans, and hay. The quantity of oats varies from 15 to 20 pounds per day; nobody can tell me how much hay is allowed. The racer appears, however, to get as much as the hunter, if he choose to eat it. Race-horses must have no superfluous flesh about them, yet they must possess great vigor and endurance. Some of them, many of them, are delicate, irritable animals, always lean, and often not eating sufficient to confer the energy their work requires. These require food that is both tempting and highly nutritious. They may have as much oats as they will eat, and an allowance of beans in each feed. The only danger of giving too much or too often, is that of disgusting the horse and destroying his appetite, for two or three meals. Clover hay may be given to these horses, and in what quantity they like. They should be fed often, yet never till they are hungry; others of robust constitution, disposed to eat too much, that is, so much as to produce fatness, in spite of all the work the legs will suffer, must be fed somewhat sparingly. For these horses beans are too strong, and clover too tempting.

It is true, the more they eat, the more work they will endure; and the more work they get in training or racing, the more vigor they display on the day of action. But there are limits to this. The legs fail; they become tumid, tender, and the fetlocks knuckle; the horse gets stiff, and his stride shortens. The work which a greedy feeder may require to keep him free from superfluous flesh, confers speed, and especially stoutness, but, carried beyond a certain point, it ruins the legs. Hence it is necessary to limit the allowance of food in proportion to the delicacy of the limbs. If they threaten to fail, the work must be diminished, and, as the work decreases, so must the food; otherwise, stable-sweating or purging must be employed to keep the horse spare.

Grass is sometimes given to racers. They work chiefly in summer, but also in spring and in autumn. Between racing-days they occasionally require to be soiled. If work be concluded before grass is quite out of season, some is given, while it lasts, to horses that are laid up for the winter.

When racing is over, which is generally by the end of September, the horses are put into winter-quarters. Some may have had much work; they are emaciated; the legs are swollen out of shape; some are lame; some have galled backs; all have he feet much injured, the hoofs broken and reduced by frequent removal of the shoes. Those that have been much reduced and knocked about, are put into loose boxes, where they remain for two or three months, receiving grass, carrots, hay, and oats. The quantity of food should be sufficient to put flesh on the horse, but not to produce fatness If the legs or sheath swell, he must have physic, or an alterative, exercise, and less grain, replaced by bran-mashes, more particularly should there be a tendency to surfeit. When bad weather or the state of the horse's legs requires that he stay much in the house, he should have bran-mashes often, and the loose box should be as large as possible, without being cold.

The horse is to be dressed every day; the loose-box clean ed every morning. If the legs have not been much abused, and the horse have no lameness, he ought to have exercise every day. If the back sinews be much swollen, little or no exercise should be given for the first four or six weeks. If the horse be lame he must rest till sound. The feet should always be defended by light shoes to prevent further injury of the hoofs, and to permit of out-door exercise. Thrushes, if there be any, are to be dressed every second day; and if very bad, a leather sole may be applied under the shoe. The shoes need removal, and the feet dressing, every five or six weeks. If the hoofs be much broken and of slow growth, the shoes should be strong enough to wear at exercise for six or eight weeks. At the end of four, they may be removed, eased off the heels, and the nails driven in the old holes.

If the horse be rather lusty at the conclusion of his running, he will require less grain, more exercise, and perhaps a dose of physic. If the legs be good, he may have exercise every day, and a sweating gallop once a fortnight. If the legs be much out of order, the horse must rest, and get two or three doses of physic. At first he should have little grain. He must be reduced in flesh before his legs can be restored.

Some racers are stalled all winter, and if fit for daily exercise they are almost as well in stalls as in loose boxes. But when lameness, injured legs, or great emaciation, forbids exercise abroad, the horse, for a while at least, must have a loose box, where he will have motion enough to prevent swelled legs, stiffness, repletion, and the fatigue and weari-someness produced by long confinement.

Too much physic, I think, is given in the racing stables. If the legs be good, and the horse lean, he needs no physic at the conclusion of his running. Engorgement of the legs demands two or three doses, which, for a lean horse, should be mild, for a lusty horse pretty strong. But it seems to be a common practice to give three doses, whether the legs need them or not. It is said, that the physic prevents the horse from getting foul, that is, too plethoric : and for a time it does so. But if other circumstances do not demand physic, would it not be as well to limit the allowance of food 1 It is the-high feeding, the system of feeding beyond the work, that produces the plethora It would surely be easier and safer to give less food, than to give physic for preventing or curing the evils arising from too much food.

It appears to me that both hunting and racing grooms feed the idle horses too fast. If lean when laid out of work, it is right to have them plump, well filled-up by the time they are called into training. Racers are generally altogether out of work for about three months, many of them for a longer, but few for a shorter time. The whole of this period may be necessary to restore the legs, but much less time suffices to fill up an emaciated horse. If a tolerable feeder, six weeks of repose on a generous diet will recruit the racer, even when his work - to use a stable phrase - has drawn him very fine. But it is not right to hasten flesh upon him so rapidly. If the horse is to lie off for three months, and, in the first two, acquires all the flesh he can carry in training, the last month will load him with superfluity, which must be pulled off, at the hazard of the legs, or by means of bleeding, physic, sweating, or alteratives. In the first place, all the grain from which the superfluous flesh is derived, goes to waste; it is lost.

In the second place, the flesh must be removed at considerable hazard to the horse, and a large expenditure of time, trouble, and money, to the owner.

There are many racers to whom these remarks are not applicable. Those of light carcass and hot tempers rarely feed so well as to accumulate fat. They may have what they will eat and drink. But the others, those of deep chests, broad loins, and keen stomachs, must have their allowance of grain regulated by their work. The groom should know with what flesh the horse can go to training in spring, and he should take care that the requisite quantity is not required too soon.