160 THE HORSE. 
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 re- 
marked, thorough-bred mares are generally 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 strain- 
ing 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, 
however, mares are very uncertain animals, he will do well to take advan- 
tage of the first opportunity after March, as by putting off the visit to the 
horse, he may be disappointed altogether, or the foal may be dropped so 
late, that winter sets in before it has acquired strength to bear it. These 
remarks apply to maiden mares only ; those which have dropped a foal 
are generally put to the horse nine or ten days afterwards, when almost 
every mare is in season. For this reason, valuable thorough-bred mares 
are often sent to foal at the place where the sire stands who is intended to 
be used next time. The travelling to him so soon after foaling would be 
injurious to both the dam and her foal, and hence the precaution I have 
named is adopted. ‘The mare then remains to be tried at intervals of 
nine days, and when she is stinted, the foal is strong enough to bear 
any length of journey with impunity. Mares and their foals commonly 
travel by road twenty miles, or even more, for this purpose ; but they do 
not often exceed that distance, and about fifteen miles a day is quite as 
much as a nine days’ old foal can compass without injury, and that done 
very quietly, the mare being led at a slow pace all the way. 
TREATMENT WHEN IN FOAL 
‘WHEN THE MARE IS IN FOAL, if not intended to be kept at work, she 
should be turned out in good pasture ; but it should not be so rich and 
succulent as to disagree with her stomach, or make her unwieldy from fat. 
The former mistake is a constant cause of miscarriage, the bowels be- 
coming relaxed from the improper nature of the food. On the other hand, 
if it is not sufficiently good, the mare will become thin, and will starve 
her foal in its growth. Mares that have been corned highly all their 
lives should have a feed or two daily, after they are six months gone, and 
especially if the autumnal grasses are > rich and plentiful. Most half- 
