322 Feeds and Feeding. 



and elastic muscle as oats. There may be instances, however, in 

 which a light feeder can be got to eat up his oats, and a handful 

 of corn as well, when the latter is mixed with them. In such a 

 case it is well to give it; but in no case should corn be used as a 

 substitute for the allowance of oats the horse in training ought to 

 have. 



" While the jogging and after preparation are going on, a bran- 

 niash now and then will be proper. Probably about once a week 

 will be often enough and not too often; but this will be indicated 

 by the condition of the horse's bowels and by his constitutional 

 tendencies and requirements. If his bowels are relaxed, the use 

 of the bran-mash is not apparent; and if he is of the light, washy 

 order, never having much substance, and easily melting away 

 when put into sharp training work, mashes are to be given 

 more sparingly than with one of the opposite character. The 

 trainer is never to relax his vigilance of observation, or let his 

 judgment go to sleep and trust to arbitrary rules. . . . Dur- 

 ing the fast work, preparatory to the coming trial, the horse will 

 have been put upon his largest allowance of strong food. Some 

 will not eat more than eight or ten quarts of oats a day; and it is 

 necessary to be very vigilant and careful that these light feeders 

 are not over-marked in work. Twelve or thirteen quarts is about 

 what a good feeder ought to have. Some will eat sixteen quarts 

 of oats a day, but my belief is that three quarts of it does more 

 harm than good." 



Splan tells us 1 that Earus, in the hottest part of the summer, 

 consumed fifteen pounds of oats per day, which he regarded as the 

 maximum for a strong, energetic horse. 



All horsemen agree in regarding oats as the one grain suit- 

 able for animals where speed is sought regardless of cost of food. 

 While this opinion prevails in this country, we should remem- 

 ber that the Arab horse usually subsists upon barley. 



504. Feeding the carriage horse. Style and action should be 

 prerequisites with the carriage horse, economy in feeding stand- 

 ing second. Oats easily lead among concentrates, for any good 

 driver will tell us that a horse fed on oats exhibits mettle as from 

 no other feed. For variety, rolled wheat or barley with bran 



1 Life with the Trotters, p. 302. 



