302 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



with good teeth. They should be thus prepared, however, for horses 

 with poor teeth, and for foals. New and musty oats should be avoided 

 as they may cause colic. Some horses are inclined to eat their oats too 

 rapidly, or "bolt" them without thoro chewing. To prevent this, a little 

 chopped hay may be mixed with the oats or some whole corn cobs can 

 be placed in the feed box with the oats. 2 



Even oats do not always form a perfect concentrate, for Axe 3 states 

 that the strongest advocates of this feed in England recognize that for 

 hunters and for other horses in severe weather the ration is improved by 

 the addition of beans. 



474. Substitutes for oats. Because of their universal favor and the 

 wide demand for them, oats are often not an economical grain where ex- 

 pense must be considered. Fortunately, both practical and scientific 

 trials alike teach that other single grains or mixtures of concentrates may 

 be substituted for oats without injury to the condition, wind, endurance, 

 or even the spirit of the horse. 



The Arab steed, so renowned for mettle and endurance, is fed no oats, 

 but chiefly barley. After experiments covering 35 years, involving the 

 feeding of 16,000 omnibus horses in Paris and some 17,000 French army 

 horses, Lavalard,* the great French authority on the nutrition of the 

 horse, concluded that the substitution of other feeds for oats, while ef- 

 fecting a great saving, had not in the slightest lowered the productive 

 power of the horses. 



The entire success attained with grain mixtures containing no oats, but 

 properly balanced in nutrients and having the requisite bulk, shows that 

 in making up the ration for the horse, just as with other animals, the 

 prices of the various available feeds should always be considered. The 

 many grains and by-products which may be successfully fed to the horse 

 in place of oats are discussed in the following articles. From these studies 

 and a knowledge of ruling market prices for feeds, each feeder may 

 determine for himself the most economical rations to employ. 



475. Indian corn. Next to oats, Indian corn (maize) is the common 

 grain for horses in America, being most largely used in the middle and 

 southern portions of the corn belt and southward in the cotton states. 

 Millions of horses and mules on American farms and plantations get 

 their strength from corn, scarcely knowing the taste of oats. While corn 

 does not have all of the superlative qualities of oats, nevertheless, be- 

 cause of lower cost and higher feeding value, it will always be extensively 

 used in this country wherever large numbers of horses must be eco- 

 nomically maintained. (201) 



When corn forms a large part of the concentrate allowance, the ration 

 should be balanced by concentrates or roughages rich in protein and 

 mineral matter, in which this grain is deficient. As corn is a heavy, 

 highly concentrated feed, care must also be exercised in limiting the 



a Bell and Williams, U. S.D.A., Farmers' Bui. 1030. 



3 The Horse, etc., 1907, vol. 8, p. 347. 4 Expt. Sta. Bee., 12, 1900, p, 13. 



