Fehiding the HoRse. 679 



pounds of digestible food daily when doing moderate work, 13.6 pounds 

 for average work and 16.6 pounds for heavy work. This digestible food 

 would be furnished by a ration consisting of 10 pounds of hay as forage 

 and a mixture of 12 pounds of grain, consisting of equal parts of corn 

 and oats, for the moderate work; 10 pounds of hay and 15 pounds of 

 the grain mixture for average work; and 10 pounds of hay and 20 pounds 

 of the same grain mixture for the heavy work. 



The speed at which the horse travels, the way in which the load is 

 distributed, the temperature of the atmosphere, evidently have an 

 effect upon the work perform^ed. Increased speed, increased temper- 

 ature and faulty distribution of the load increase the work. An increase 

 in the work means an increase in the food consumed, or the horse will 

 lose weight. 



It is readily apparent why rapid labor is less economically performed 

 than slow labor. When a horse is trotting the frequency of the heart 

 beat and consequently the work performed by the heart is much increased. 

 The trotting or gallooing horse lifts his own weight at each step, but allows 

 it to fall again, which takes extra energy. The temperature of the 

 horse rises with the exertion, and much heat is lost by the evaporation 

 of water through the skin and lungs. The proportion of the food em- 

 ployed to produce heat is thus increased, while the proportion appearing 

 as work is diminished. There are other mechanical reasons why rapid 

 motion generally consumes more power than slow motion, even when 

 the distance traveled and weight moved are the same. If a horseman 

 needlessly hurries his horse or whips his team into a fast walk and then 

 lets it stand idle, more food must be consumed than if the slowest 

 possible gait were allowed. 



Regularity in feeding 



The importance of regularity in everything that pertains to the 

 management of the horse cannot easily be overestimated. This applies 

 particularly to feeding. Whatever feeding-stuffs are employed in the 

 ration, the horse should be fed regularly and uniformly at all times. 

 The horse anticipates the feeding hour, and becomes nervous if it is 

 delayed. He neighs and coaxes for his food with great regularity. 

 The horse's digestive system and his vital activities become accustomed 

 to a certain order which must be followed if one is to be successful. To 

 change that order for even a single meal produces more or less digestive 

 disturbance. The horse's digestive system is not so large proportion- 

 ately as that of a cow or sheep, he has no rumin, no place to store his food 



