BREEDING 307 



The mare comes into heat early in the spring, and 

 generally goes with foal for eleven months, although 

 it not unfrequently happens that they vary, even so 

 much as from a month to six weeks, either earlier or 

 later. From the time which the mare is covered until 

 she foals, she may be moderately worked with safety, 

 and even with advantage to both parent and colt ; but 

 we would recommend for a week or two before foaling 

 that she should not be worked, but subjected to regular 

 daily and moderate exercise. The time can be pretty 

 nearly guessed from the time she was covered. About 

 a day before foaling an adhesive matter issues from 

 the teats of the mare, and after this she should on no 

 account be subjected to any sort of work, but allowed 

 to go at large, and constantly watched by some careful 

 person. 



After the mare is about half advanced in pregnancy, 

 she should be well fed, and from one to two feeds of 

 oats given to her daily, as a greater quantity of nourish- 

 ment after this period is required for the support of the 

 foetus. If the system is allowed to become debilitated 

 from want of a supply of food to meet the increased 

 demand, then there is a probability that her weakness 

 may lead to her proving abortive, to which mares are 

 more liable at this period than either before or after- 

 wards. There can be little doubt that good feeding 

 and moderate exercise will be most conducive to the 

 prevention of dropping a fcetus ; but after this time 

 hard work must be avoided, and also galloping or 

 hard trotting. Should a mare once abort it is 

 extremely likely to happen afterwards. It is a fact 

 that where two or three mares in foal are on the same 

 pasture, if one aborts, the rest are very liable to the 

 same occurrence. It is therefore evident that as soon 

 as such a circumstance occurs, other mares that may 



