PRINCIPLES OF FEEDING. 241 



garding a horse's food. It is extensively believed that boiled 

 food, barley, carrots, and some other articles, produce purga- 

 iion that raw wheat is poisonous that peas swell so much 

 as to burst, the stomach -that potatoes, and many other things, 

 are flatulent. 



The truth is, a sudden change of diet produces ev.ls which 

 would not occur were the change made with care. The most 

 frequent result of a change is colic, next to that purgation, 

 and after these come founder, surfeit, weed, constipation, and 

 apoplexy. Some of these, perhaps the whole of them except 

 purgation, may arise as often from the horse eating too much, 

 as from the sudden change. But it appears quite certain that 

 the stomach and bowels requie some little time to adapt them- 

 selves to articles upon which tl ey have not been accustomed 

 to act. The horse eats too niu-Ji, because the new article is 

 more palatable than his ordinal y food ; and the groom often 

 gives too much without knowing ; ; he gives barley and beans 

 in the same measure that he gives oats. These articles, and 

 wheat, are much heavier in proj.rtion to their bulk. An 

 equal weight of oats might not be e^en, though it were given, 

 and the horse would suffer no evil ; but if the horse is not 

 used to beans or barley, he will eat i greater weight of those 

 than of his oats ; if an equal quantity, by weight, were given, 

 the horse would be in less danger ; b n still it is not safe sud- 

 denly to substitute one article for anoth r. 



If it were determined to use a certain portion of barley in- 

 stead of oats, say an equal quantity of ei h, the change is not 

 to be made in one day nor in one weei; At first give the 

 barley in only one of the daily feeds, and in small quantity, 

 so that, during the first week, one feed w I consist of three 

 parts oats, and one part barley the other feeds will be the 

 same as usual ; in the second week, one fee 1 will be half oats 

 and half barley ; in the third week, give tv o of those feeds 

 every day ; in the next, three, and so on till ti?e horses receive 

 the allotted quantity. 



One dose of physic, perhaps two, may be \ seful when the 

 diet is altered ; but if the horses be seasoned, utd in full work, 

 it is seldom necessary. It is most required wh 3n the food is 

 richer and more constipating than that to whkh they have 

 been used. 



THE QUANTITY OF FOOD may be insufficient, or it may bo 

 in excess. The consumption is influenced by the work, the 

 weather, the horse's condition, age, temper, form, ai d health 



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