Feed and Care of the Horse. 325 



506. Preparation of feed. The food requirements of the horse 

 vary more than for any other farm animal because of their wide 

 range in weight and the great diversity and severity of the labor 

 performed. Idle horses may be maintained wholly or almost 

 wholly upon hay, straw or corn fodder, fed uncut. Such animals 

 have ample time for masticating food, and their systems not being 

 taxed by labor, they are able to subsist on food which contains a 

 large percentage of inert matter. Forage possessing considerable 

 volume, as hay and straw, is suitable for such animals because a 

 reasonable amount will furnish the necessary nutriment, and it is 

 better to have the digestive tract well distended with food sub- 

 stnnces than contracted, as would be the case if concentrates pos- 

 sessing only the requisite nutriment were supplied. 



For horses taxed to the limit of their endurance all grain 

 should be ground and fed upon moistened, chaffed hay. Food 

 thus prepared is more rapidly masticated and consequently re- 

 mains a longer time in the stomach. A little long hay may be 

 supplied the animal, to be consumed at leisure after the stomach is 

 well filled. Understanding the requirements of animals repre- 

 senting the two extremes, one can adjust the food preparation and 

 supply to meet the various intermediate cases as they arise. 



There is always more or less dust with hay, and this rough- 

 age should always be administered in such manner as to cause 

 the horse the least annoyance. Dusty hay should be avoided if 

 possible. Sprinkling the. hay lightly with water is the simplest 

 way of reducing the trouble to the minimum. 



507. The order of administering grain, hay and water. Colin' s 

 investigations on the stomach of the horse x show that this organ 

 must fill and empty itself two or three times for each feed given. 

 (34^ In one case he administered 2,500 grams (5.5 pounds) of 

 hay to a horse, which was then killed, and on opening the stomach 

 less than one-half of the hay was found therein, the remainder 

 having passed into the intestines. Other animals killed at longer 

 intervals after feeding showed that the passage of the food into the 

 intestines was not as rapid toward the end of the repast as at the 

 beginning. From this it appears there are two periods in thedi- 



1 Traite d. Phys. Comp. des Animaux. 



