1804 



The Cornell Reading-Courses 



ing from neglect is always attended with loss that cannot be atoned for, 

 even by special care given subsequently. 



The successful horse-owner must be a man of industrious habits. In 

 a sense his work is never done, owing to the constant necessity of furnish- 

 ing the horse with sustenance and protection. Not only must he be 

 devoted to his work, but also he must be gentle in his management of 

 the horse. The horse is a very nervous animal and should be handled 

 quietly and kindly at all times. Striking him or shouting commands at 

 him are inconsiderate practices which not only cause the animal to lose 

 confidence in his master and render him less teachable, but also destroy 

 his nervous energy. He thereby becomes a less economical producer 

 than he would be if protected at all times from such nervous shocks. 



feeding the work horse 

 The work horse should have rich food; the richer, the food, the more 

 easily it is digested and the greater is the proportion that becomes avail- 

 able in energy. He should be fed liberally and frequently. He has a 

 good appetite and a vigorous digestion, and responds to intelligent care. 

 Regularity in feeding, watering, and working brings comfort to the horse 

 and results in long years of usefulness ; while irregularity in these essentials 

 is likely to lead to digestive disorders and other derangements. 



Amount of food needed 

 Many experiments have been conducted in order to determine the 

 relation between the amount of muscular work to be done and the 

 amount of food required for its performance. As a result of such ex- 

 periments, feeding standards have been established which serve to show 

 the amount of food required each day by a working horse. The follow- 

 ing is the Wolff -Lehman n standard. It shows the amount of dry 

 matter and of digestible food required per iooo pounds live weight for 

 horses at light, medium, and heavy work: 



TABLE i. — Wolff-Lehmann Standard 



Work 



Light . . . 

 Medium 

 Heavv. . 



Dry 



matter 

 (pounds) 



20 



24 

 26 



Digestible nutrients 



Protein 

 (pounds) 



1-5 



2.0 



2-5 



Carbo- 

 hydrates 

 (pounds) 



9-5 

 1 1 .0 



13-3 



Fat 

 (pounds) 



0.4 

 0.6 

 0.8 



