1810 The Cornell Reading-Courses 



success is to be obtained. Changing the order for even a single meal 

 may produce more or less digestive disturbance. ■ If, for some reason, 

 a change must be made, it should be brought about gradually so as to give 

 the digestive system time to adapt itself to the new ration. 



Preparation of. Feed 



The preparation of feed for the idle horse need receive little attention. 

 Such animals have ample time to masticate their food, since their systems 

 are not being taxed by labor. They can .subsist on food containing a 

 large amount of fibrous material, such as hay, straw, or corn fodder, fed 

 whole, but as a rule some grain should be given in addition. When horses 

 are taxed to the limit of their endurance, however, the preparation of 

 their food should receive attention. In this case, possibly all grains 

 should be fed ground and, if convenient, part of the hay should be cut or 

 chopped. Foods thus prepared, especially small grains, are more thoroughly 

 masticated and perhaps more thoroughly digested. Long hay, to be 

 consumed at leisure, should of course be supplied to the animal. Since 

 hay is always more or less dusty, it should be fed in such a manner as 

 to cause the horse least annoyance. Moistening or sprinkling hay with 

 water is the simplest method of reducing this trouble, although dusty 

 hay should be avoided whenever possible. It is often asserted that soak- 

 ing the feed, especially hard grain, renders it easier to masticate and 

 improves digestibility. It is very doubtful, however, whether it is ever 

 worth while to soak feed for the horse, provided that he is healthy 

 and has sound teeth. 



feeding the driving horse 

 Periods of comparative idleness followed by long drives and hours of 

 overexertion make the feeding of the driving, or carriage, horse a difficult 

 task. Irregular work necessitates irregular feeding, which weakens the 

 constitution of the driving horse so that often such a horse has but a 

 brief career. In feeding the driving horse the same general plan as that 

 suggested for the work horse should be followed as far as possible. When 

 the horse is not driven, the grain part of the ration should be reduced 

 and the normal allowance should not again be given until work is resumed. 

 Driving horses are often overfed because of a desire on the part of their 

 owners to keep them in the pink of condition. Such overfeeding and 

 irregular exercise are the causes of most of the ills of the driving horse. 



Feeds for the driving horse 

 Oats and bran easily lead among the concentrates, and timothy hay 

 among the forages. A bran mash should be given once a week if bran 



