In this world it is certain that, one day or another,
Every man has to face him who demands his life.
REMARKS BY THE EMIR ABD-EL-KADER.
The Arabs have preserved the practice of racing their horses against one another, in which they indulged so far back as in the times of idolatry, prior to Mohammed. The new law has in no way altered this usage. On the contrary it has consecrated its lawfulness, and, by impressing it with the seal of religion, has attached additional importance to it.
For racing, the Arabs subject their horses to a preparatory regimen, which is called tadmir, or training. Thank to this treatment, a horse acquires a wonderful speed. The tadmir is in this wise.
They begin by increasing the animal's allowance of food, so that he gains fat to a perceptible degree. When this result has been attained, they begin to reduce his condition by gradually diminishing his rations for forty days, until they have reached the minimum of nourishment. During these forty days, they subject him to progressive exercise. At the same time, and from the very first day from lowering his keep, they cover the animal with seven djellale, or horse-cloths, one of which they remove every six days. The sweating disperses all the fat, gets rid of a useless weight, gives tone to the muscles, and leaves nothing but hard flesh. By means of this treatment, a horse attains, according to the stock he comes from, the highest degree of speed. Thus prepared, the horse is brought on to the djalba or race ground.
Horses arriving from all districts are led on to the djalba, and crowds of people likewise flock thither. At no other time, except at the period of the assemblage of pilgrims, is such a concourse of men to be seen, and all the nobles and chiefs are present.
"We have taken part in the races, and, although it was yet early, the crowd was as great as at the period of pilgrimages."
Horses properly trained are never suffered to run against those that are not. They are placed in different classes, to each of which a different goal is assigned. The trained horses have much the longest course to run. The race-course in this case in called el midmar, and upon this the learned Bokhari has remarked:
"The Prophet caused the trained horses to run by themselves, and fixed a distance of seven miles to traverse, while for ordinary horses he fixed a distance of only three miles."[[52]]