HOKSE FEEDING. 9 



weight, or '.♦45 oiii. for inorc severe svork on a l)!i,sis of 135 gin. })(M- 

 100 kg. live weight. The same amount of earbohydrates woukl be 

 required in both cases. At the rate of 1,100 gm. digestibk^ earbo 

 hydrates per 100 kg. of live weight the necessar}^ amount would l)e 

 7,700 gm. The amounts of protein and carbohydrates called for in 

 these two cases would require 9 to 9,5 kg. of oats and 5 kg. of hay. 

 No account is taken of the straw supplied for bedding, though the 

 little that would be eaten would, of course, supply a small amount of 

 nutrients. The digesti])l(> protein and carbohydrates in 9 kg. of oats 

 and 5 kg, of hay is shown in the following ta])le: 



Digestible hutrientx in a r<tHon af uaix (dkI hay. 



Oats (9 kg.) 

 Hay (5 kg.) 



Total. 



Digestible 

 protein. 



Grams. 

 675 

 210 



Digestible 



carbo- 

 hydrates. 



Crrams. 

 5, 780 

 2, 2C)8 



As has been stated, one of the principal objects of our investigation 

 has been to establish the ration of grain and coarse fodder on the basis 

 of the amount of work required. The owners of post horses in early 

 times increased the ration of oats whenever the relay's were less 

 frequent, and hence the distance traveled was greater than usual. 

 While such changes were empirical, it may be said that in general all 

 the post horses used on the mail and stage coaches before the opening 

 of railroads were fed rations proportionate to the amount of work 

 required of them. It was found necessary to allow these horses to 

 rest at intervals, not on account of the ration fed, but from the fact 

 that they were usually driven beyond their normal speed. A possible 

 reason for this may have been that they were not as highlj^ bred as 

 draft horses of the present time. During these periods of rest the 

 horses were worked on farms at a slow gait. No scientific estimate 

 had been made of the work expended in hauling a heavy stage or mail 

 coach at a rapid gait. 



The difficulties in the way of accurately estimating the WT)rk per- 

 formed l)y horses constitute the chief reason why we adopted the plan 

 of proportioning the amount of nutrients fed to the w'eight of the 

 animal. If the weight diminishes it is because the food supplied is 

 not sufficient for the energ}^ expended. It was stated above that the 

 weight of large horses of uniform size was less variable than that of 

 3mall horses. In 1851 Baudement noted that the largest and heaviest 

 horses apparently derived the greatest benefit from a uniform ration. 

 According to his explanation this was not because they made better use 

 of a uniform ration than smaller horses, but because their losses in 



