206 A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



allowed. It has been thought by some that horses should 

 always be watered before rather than after feeding. Experi- 

 ments have shown, however, that it really makes no differ- 

 ence. It is best to water frequently, so that the horse will 

 not drink too much at one time. It is a good plan to water 

 before feeding, and then again in two or three hours, if the 

 horse is at regular work. "The one time at which a horse 

 requires and appreciates a drink most/' writes Dr. Carl W. 

 Gay,* "yet is offered it least frequently, is the last thing at 

 night, after having consumed his full allowance of roughage, 

 and being ready to lie down to sleep. Every horse having 

 worked through the day should be allowed an opportunity 

 to drink at this time." Ordinarily water does not need 

 to be warmed, but in winter in the colder North it is desir- 

 able to give water that has been warmed by a tank heater 

 and is not icy cold. The amount of water a horse will drink 

 will depend upon the temperature of the air, on his work, 

 and food. A horse fed alfalfa will drink more than one fed 

 timothy, and, if the food is succulent, such as silage or pas- 

 ture, the amount of water is greatly reduced. Kellner re- 

 ports f that a horse will drink for each pound of dry matter 

 in its food from 4.5 to 6.5 pounds of water. Water is im- 

 portant in digestion, because it is the medium by which the 

 food is softened, broken up, and moved through the digestive 

 tract. As a part of the blood, water carries the nutrients 

 throughout the entire body. 



Salting the horse should be provided for, as he will eat 

 a small amount of salt with relish. Salt is thought to aid 

 digestion, and it makes palatable some feeding stuffs. Too 

 much salt, however, stimulates drinking water in excess, 

 and so may injure the digestive processes. Under ordi- 

 nary conditions a work horse might eat an ounce or two 

 a day to advantage. "Lick stones/' or pressed cakes of 

 salt have been largely sold in the past to men keeping ex- 



*Produptive Horse Husbandry, 1914, p. 243. 



tThe Scientific Feeding of Animals, By O. Kellner, 1910. 



