STOMACH-STAGGERS 55 



them within very short periods of each other with 

 this malady, from which an opinion prevails with 

 many that the staggers is contagious. Nothing can 

 be more erroneous than this belief, as it is quite 

 certain that the complaint is induced by bad stable 

 management, or by feeding the horse with unwhole- 

 some food, or in the horse feeding too voraciously, 

 as already mentioned. This disease is more common 

 with old horses than others. We would strongly 

 recommend the owners of horses to give some 

 attention to the following : Too much food given 

 at one time after long fasting or hard work, and 

 neglecting to give the animal water, is almost certain 

 to produce the staggers. The hours of labour should 

 be for limited spaces of time, with proper intervals 

 of rest allowed, and the horse regularly fed during 

 these intervals. Every man must have felt the 

 effects of being without dinner for two or three hours 

 beyond his accustomed time. From five to six hours 

 are the intervals between the meals of a labouring 

 man ; and with a horse that is worked no longer 

 time should be allowed to elapse without feeding 

 and watering. When persons are occasionally so 

 situated that they cannot unyoke their horses at 

 stated times for food and rest, then they ought to 

 carry hay and a nose-bag, and a supply of corn along 

 with them. Indeed, it is surprising that if humanity 

 does not influence many men to be kind to this 

 valuable animal, self-interest ought to have the effect 

 of inducing proper treatment. 



Staggers often attacks horses while they are at 

 grass. This, however, happens chiefly with such 

 as have been previously stinted in their food, or 

 where the pasture is very rich. In such cases, nature 

 generally works its own cure ; because, if the horse 



