186 THE HORSE 



advantage, if it can be protected from the wet grass or wetter soil. A 

 yard is, therefore, truly valuable in the absence of a dry soil, and it should 

 be paved with bricks, stones, or pebbles, well covered with a laj^er of litter, 

 to prevent slips and strains. 



GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF THE BROOD 



MARE 



When it has been decided to breed from a mare, if she is not already 

 thrown out of work, it will often be necessary to cool her down, by turning 

 her out to grass and taking away her corn, before she will become stinted. 

 Thorough-bred mares are not, as a rule, allowed to take the horse while in 

 work ; but sometimes they are so constantly " in use," that no other means 

 will enable the trainer to go on with his work of preparation. There is a 

 wonderful difference in this respect : some animals are rarely " in use," once 

 or twice a year being the outside ; while others are so every nine days 

 throughout the spring — the average, perhaps, being in that state at about 

 intervals of two or three months from the time of shedding their coats till 

 the beginning of autumn. Again, some are not upset in their work by this 

 natural process ; while others refuse to feed, lose condition, and cannot be 

 depended on for half their usual exertions. Either extreme requires a 

 change of feeding ; for, on the one hand, the cool temperament is excited by 

 the freedom of a run at grass, and on the other, the warmer one is benefited 

 by losing the heating qualities of her corn. At all events, it is found, in 

 practice, that though the majority of maiden mares will become stinted 

 while at work, yet that a large number require a run at grass before they 

 will become in foal. As I before remarked, thoroughbred mares are gener- 

 ally entirely devoted to the stud from the time that they are put to the 

 horse ; but there are many others of lower breeding which their owners 

 desire to work on for some months afterwards. It is often apparent 

 that the legs of a hack or harness-mare are wearing out, and her owner 

 decides upon having a foal from her, but wishes to avoid the expense of keep 

 from the spring, when he puts her to the horse, till the next January or 

 February, varying, of course, with the time of foaling. All mares are the 

 better for slow work up to within two months of foaling ; but they should 

 not be ridden or driven so fast as to occasion exhaustion. Cart-mares are 

 generally used to within a few days of their time, taking care to keep them 

 at light work and to avoid straining them. With these precautions, if the 

 legs keep tolerably sound, a mare may be made to earn her keep for nine 

 months out of the eleven which are the duration of her pregnancy. 



The time of sending the mare to the horse will vary with the purposes for 

 which her produce is intended. If for racing, it is desired that she shall 

 foal as soon as possible after the first of January ; and as she carries her 

 foal about eleven months, the first time of her being "in use" after the first 

 of February is the period chosen for her. All other horses take their age 

 from the first of May ; and as this is the time when the young grass begins 

 to be forward enough for the use of the mare, the breeder is not anxious to 

 get his half-bred foals dropped much before that time. As, howevei', mares 

 are very uncertain animals, he will do well to take advantage of the first 



