MODERN FARRIER. 149 



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It is customary to put hay in the rack at night : 

 and in cases where the horse labours much through 

 the day, it may not be improper, as at night he en- 

 joys leisure to masticate his food properly ; but it 

 cannot be necessary to give hay at night to animals 

 which work little, and which spend most of the day 

 in the stable. 



Oats are the general food of horses in this coun- 

 try. They are usually given three times a day, 

 with a small mixture of beans, especially for carriage 

 and post horses. But such heating food can be 

 given safely only to such animals as undergo strong 

 exercise. The constant feeding with oats is apt to 

 make horses costive : it is therefore a good practice 

 to give them bran-mashes once or twice a week. 



Good oats, whether white or black, are known by 

 their weight and thinness of husk, and being short. 

 They should be some months old before they are 

 used, as new oats are apt to swell the belly and pro- 

 duce gripes. Oats should be carefully sifted clean 

 from dust and the dung of mice. 



It is recommended to bruise the corn in a mill 

 before giving it to the horse, as whole corn being 

 but imperfectly masticated, eludes the digestive 

 powers of the animal, and is ejected from his body 

 crude and unbroken. This is particularly the case 

 with brood mares and young stock, the bellies of 

 which are full of slippery grass ; such should have 

 the corn ground and made into mashes. 



New beans ought to be dried in a kiln before they 

 are given to horses. Old beans should be split, and 

 given either with bran or chaff. It is a good me- 

 thod to boil the beans, or else, by wetting them oc- 

 casionally, to excite that degree of fermentation 

 sufficient to make them sprout. They may be used 

 with advantage in cases where the horse labours 

 severely. Beans contain more solid nourishment 

 than oats, but of a less salubrious nature. 



