FEEDING. 00 



the ingenuity of man being tried on her. I tried all sorts 

 of things for a very long time, but when a friend of mine, 

 after looking fisedly at her for some minutes, solemnly 

 ejaculated, "Well, I would not be seen at a dog-fight with 

 her," I thought it was time we parted. Regularity in the 

 times of feeding goes for much, and due regard should 

 always be paid to it when possible. With horses used in 

 certain businesses, and with hunters, this, of course, is 

 not always feasible, on account of the hours they have to 

 be away from their stables. It is an important matter not 

 to let the stomach get too empty, as flatulence and weakening 

 of the digestive organs almost invariably follow. A very 

 little is sufficient to prevent mischief occurring, and one of 

 the handiest things I know of to give, in the absence of 

 hay or corn, is a small loaf. In many cases, however, it is 

 absolutely essential to the horse's well-being that he should 

 be stabled every few hours, as comparatively few will relieve 

 themselves out of doors, except, perhaps, when standing on grass, 

 bracken, &c., and the most serious troubles may come from this. 



In the matter of the quality of food, one can hardly be too 

 particular. Corn-dealers are but human, and if they sen 

 that the horse-owner does not object to dusty oats, of inferior 

 weight, and hay whose sweetness is not distinctly apparent, 

 they will be apt to work off such stuff on the customer who 

 does not complain. As to the former article, there are few 

 things more calculated to injure the wind of a sound horse, 

 or aggravate the mischief in one whose "bellows" are already 

 in want of ** mending." All corn, before being given to a 

 horse, should be scrupulously shaken in the sieve, and cleansed, 

 as far as possible, from dusty particles. As to hay, one's 

 olfactory organs are quite sufficient to detect anything wrong 

 here, and the least scent of a damp or mildewy nature should 

 insure immediate rejection on the part of him who values hi-s 

 horse. Bran, also, which has once got damp, is practically 

 useless. 



Eoughly speaking, two bushels of oats and one peck of 

 white peas, or split beans, together with four bushels of 

 short-cut chaff, and half to a whole truss of hay, is ample for 

 a week's keep of a big, moderately hard-working horse. I 

 take the precaution of saying ''roughly speaking," because 

 each horse's individual appetite must be studied, and more or 

 less food given accordingly. Again, when doing extra hard work. 



