LECTURE LXIV. 



FEED, CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE DRIVING AND 

 SADDLE HORSES. 



The driving or saddle horse is used almost solely for 

 pleasure purposes. This fact makes the care and manage- 

 ment of this class of animals very difficult to control. It is 

 very seldom that animals of this class receive regular exer- 

 cise. When the weather is fine and the roads are good, they 

 are usually worked hard. On the other hand, when the 

 weather is unfavorable they are oftentimes idle a great deal 

 of the time. Another point which makes their care difficult 

 is the fact that their labor is usually performed during a 

 couple of hours of the day, and generally of a severe nature 

 during this short period of time. All of these things are 

 unnatural, thus very hard on the animal. Animals to with- 

 stand such treatment must receive peculiar feed and care. 

 In many instances it is very hard to exercise such an animal 

 when they are not needed for pleasure purposes. This is 

 especially true in cities and towns, where they are confined 

 to the stable most of the year. The feet need special care, 

 also. 



Whenever it is possible such an animal should have a 

 roomy box stall which has a ground floor. This will be 

 helpful in supplying some exercise and the ground floor will 

 be much easier on the feet and legs. This is a most import- 

 ant point. If this stall can open into an open lot, so much 

 the better. The horse should then be allowed a few hours 

 out in the open lot every day when the weather is at all 

 favorable. This will be very helpful and will have very 

 strong tendency to increase and lengthen his period of use- 

 fulness. No horse can be confined to a small stall in the 

 stable for any length of time and retain its vigor and sound- 

 ness. Imprisonment of this kind will ruin any animal. 



Where an exercising lot can be had, it should be long 

 and rather narrow, so as to prevent the horse from running 

 in a circle, which so often results in a slip or a fall, which 



