314 MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY 



horse, and when an undue quantity has been given, 

 the most injurious consequences have happened to the 

 animals, especially if much water is given soon after 

 being fed with them. 



On the Continent, barley is a common food of the 

 horse. It contains more nourishment than oats ; yet 

 it does not seem so well adapted for the food of the 

 horse as oats, except where the animals are hard 

 worked. It has been found that horses fed on barley 

 are more liable to be affected with complaints of an 

 inflammatory character, and likewise to surfeit and 

 other skin diseases. In Britain, farmers have been 

 known to feed their horses on unsound and unsaleable 

 barley, which in many instances has produced serious 

 maladies. In the form of mashes, barley is found to 

 be advantageous, from its stimulating properties ; but 

 we certainly do not approve of it as a general food. 



Tares are valuable in their green state in the early 

 part of summer, as they possess medicinal properties, 

 as well as being very nutritive. In the event of horses 

 having surfeit-lumps, green tares to the extent of ten 

 or twelve pounds daily, cut up and mixed with the 

 chaff, will be found to remove them very quickly. 



It has been satisfactorily proved that tares have 

 not the effect of producing a rough coat, although this 

 opinion still exists with many persons. 



Carrots form an excellent food for the horse when 

 mixed with the chaff in the proportion of half-a-bushel 

 a day, and excluding the oats and beans. With this 

 quantity, or not exceeding three quarters of a bushel, 

 horses will stand any quantity of work. 



Swedish turnips are a tolerably nutritive food, and 

 very easy of digestion. Twenty pounds of sliced 

 turnip, to twelve pounds of bruised oats and six pounds 

 of straw, forms an excellent meal for a horse. 



