At the Rubbing-House horses had the sweat scraped off them in the half-hour rests between heats. They were also given biscuits and often glasses of port, brandy, or canary wine. There are references to fixed weights very early in the 17th century, and the gibbet-like scales became mandatory for all except catchweight contests before the end of the century. The History of Horse Racing by Roger Longrigg, page 81.