Investigations Concerning the Horse. 



necessitates a ration composed largely of rich concentrates, furnish- 

 ing a high percentage of net nutrients. Roughages, furnishing rela- 

 tively little net energy, are of low value for producing work, place 

 an increased burden on the already hard-worked animal, and hinder 

 breathing. The more severe the labor, the smaller must be the al- 

 lowance of coarse feeds. On the other hand, some roughage must be 

 supplied even during severe labor. Kellner 1 states that roughage 

 cannot be long withheld without injury. Horses fed no roughage, 

 but given an abundance of oats, which are rather high in fiber, soon 

 show loss of appetite and impairment of digestive organs. (428) 



Wolff cites the intense work of the mail-coach horses on the route 

 from Plieningen to Stuttgart, Germany. Two strongly-built, spirited 

 horses, in good flesh, draw a heavy mail coach, often carrying 8 pas- 

 sengers, up and down the mountain road 35 miles daily, trotting at 

 the speed of 5.4 miles per hour. They are fed daily 22 to 24 Ibs. 

 of oats mixed with cut straw, and hay without limit, of which they 

 eat very little often none at all. Under these severe conditions 

 these horses receive sufficient fiber in the oats and cut straw, and 

 hence instinctively refuse hay. 



The German army horse often travels over 40 miles in a day, one- 

 third of the distance being at a walk, trot, and gallop respectively. 

 This means the performance of about 11,900 ft.-tons of work. They 

 are fed only 5.5 Ibs. of hay, 11 Ibs. of oats, and some cut straw, the 

 ration containing only about 8.8 Ibs. of digestible nutrients, an 

 amount far below the nutritive requirement. It is therefore not hard 

 to understand why these horses lose heavily in weight during the 

 maneuvers, and that when these are over large numbers have to be 

 disposed of as not suitable for military service. 



408. Variations in body weight. Grandeau and Leclerc 2 found 

 that during exercise and work 2 horses lost in weight as follows : 



Average length Loss in 



of period weight 



Min. Lbs. 



Walking, no work 148 2.3 



Work at a walk 148 4.3 



Trotting, no work 79 4.0 



Work at a trot 79 9.3 



The loss in body weight by the horse during exercise and work 

 is due to the slight wear of the muscles, the heavier oxidation of the 

 nutritive fluids of the body during work, and the largely increased 

 evaporation of water. 



1 Ernahr. landw. Nutztiere, 1907, p. 455. 



2 Ann. Sci. Agron., 1888, II, p. 276. 



