202 HORSEMANSHIP. 



Under ordinary circumstances the best mill for crushing 

 dry corn is the horse's teeth, but many are such greedy, 

 hurried feeders that they bolt a large quantity of grain 

 whole. All oats, beans, peas, or maize should be given 

 cracked or crushed, mixed with fresh chopped or cut hay 

 or oat straw, so as to ensure thorough mastication and the 

 admixture of the food with saliva. 



This manger system of feeding requires wide and deep 

 mangers, with iron cross-bars, otherwise much corn will be 

 wasted by the horse's throwing out the corn in search of 

 '• tit-bits." No more oats than the quantity just sufficient 

 for the day's use should be bruised at a time ; for, in a 

 crushed state they are liable to turn sour> are refused, and 

 are injurious. All oats, before being bruised, should be 

 carefully sifted to get rid of gravel, grit, and dust. 



A horse, fifteen to fifteen and a half hands high, not a 

 greedy feeder, and doing ordinary light work, or merely 

 exercise, will need about ten pounds of oats a day ; this is 

 the allowance for cavalry horses, and they have to get 

 through a great deal more of heavy and prolonged work 

 than is generally supposed. But oats^ by custom the most 

 generally selected staple grain food of the horse, are not, 

 when the wear and tear of muscular power are excessive, 

 the most suitable diet when given entirely by themselves. 

 The method in economizing food, and in obtaining the 

 best results from the varieties at our disposal, is to give a 

 mixture in which due consideration is given in apportion- 

 ment of each ingredient, having regard to the nutritious 

 matter contained in it, and the amount and nature of the 

 work to be exacted from the consumer. Should the reader 

 care to get up this important subject, I can strongly recom- 

 mend the perusal of an able and compact little work, 

 entitled " How to Feed the Horse," by Mr. George Armi- 



