HORSE 



2840 



HORSE 



bian horses can be traced to 1634 B. c. They 

 have been imported into all countries in which 

 the modern horse has reached its greatest 

 development. 



Principal Types. The three main types of 

 the modern horse are the roadster, the coach 

 and the draft types. These types are repre- 

 sented by distinct breeds, each of which has a 

 more or less complete history. In addition to 

 these main types may be mentioned the thor- 

 oughbred type, which has attained the great- 

 est prominence in England in racing, the 

 American saddle horse, and several breeds of 

 ponies. 



The roadster, or light-harness type of horse, 

 is best represented by the American standard- 

 bred, which may be either trotter or pacer. It 

 is descended from the thoroughbred, which in 

 turn traces 4 back to an Arabian foundation. 

 These horses are characterized by prominence 

 of muscles and joints, leanness of body, and 

 a general angularity of appearance not found 

 in the coach or draft types. Quality, which 



15 20 25 30 



Russi an Empire \ 

 United States 

 Argentina 

 Germany 



Austria-Hungary' 



France 

 Canada 

 Australia 

 British Isles 

 India 



COUNTRIES OWNING THE MOST HORSES 



is shown by refinement in the head and limbs 

 and prominence in veins and muscles, is essen- 

 tial in the roadster. The action of this type 

 must be strong and true; it mus^ be long, 

 with the feet picked up with a snap and car- 

 ried forward in a straight line. The feet are 

 not raised high, consequently there is less knee 

 and hock action than in the coach type. 

 Standard-bred horses have reached their best 

 development in America. Horses of this type 

 vary in weight, since this is not necessarily a 

 factor in their usefulness. They range in 

 weight from 1,000 to 1,400 pounds. 



A light horse has been known to travel un- 

 der saddle seventy miles in twenty-four hours, 

 but it is not usual to drive more than thirty 

 to forty miles per day. It is considered very 

 good work when a cavalry troop covers thirty 

 miles. 



The coach, or heavy harness, horse, has been 

 developed for the handling of heavier vehicles 



at a slower speed than is expected of the 

 lighter driving type. The coach horse must 

 be more showy in action, and consequently 

 his gait has more knee and hock action and 

 less speed. The body conformation is rounder, 

 less angular, and more stylish than the driv- 

 ing type. The coach type is represented by 

 the hackney, the French coach, the German 

 coach and the Cleveland bay breeds of horses. 



In the draft type the necessary qualification 

 is weight, but style, action and good appear- 

 ance have not been sacrificed in the production 

 of draft horses carrying much weight. Light 

 draft horses should weigh from 1,500 to 1,600 

 pounds, medium from 1,600 to 1,700, and the 

 heavy from 1,700 pounds upward. Coarseness 

 of bone and angular, rough joints are very 

 undesirable in a draft horse. A horse is no 

 better than his feet. Coarse bones and rough 

 joints are often associated with poor feet and 

 a coarse head and neck. The breeds repre- 

 senting this type of horse are the percherons 

 of France, the Clydesdale of Scotland, the 

 shire of England, the Belgian of Belgium and 

 the Suffolk punch of England. All these breeds 

 have attained prominence in North America 

 and those other parts of the world needing a 

 heavy horse type for draft purposes. 



Care and Feeding of Horses. Horses re- 

 spond to careful, intelligent care and treat- 

 ment. There is a saying that a good grooming 

 is worth a quart of oats any day. The horse 

 should be kept in a well-bedded stall, in a 

 clean, light, well-ventilated stable. If he can 

 be blanketed, he will have a better appearing 

 coat; a light blanket in summer will keep off 

 the flies and add to his comfort. 



The rations of horses are limited in all coun- 

 tries, practically, to the hays and the cereal 

 grains. The kind of food varies with the 

 locality. In the Eastern United States timo- 

 thy hay and oats make up the favorite ration; 

 further west, corn enters into the ration, with 

 clover and alfalfa hay; on the Pacific slope 

 rolled barley is used with hay from the wild 

 oat and barley plants; in the south, corn is 

 the chief grain feed, with the leaves of the 

 corn plant for roughage. In other countries, 

 rye and other cereals find favor. As an ex- 

 ample, the following ration may be suggested 

 for a draft horse weighing 1,500 pounds: six- 

 teen pounds of mixed hay, timothy and clover, 

 and sixteen pounds of mixed corn and oats 

 ground together, half and half by weight. If 

 the horse is at light work, the grain would be 

 cut down and the hay increased. 



