CHAPTER III 



THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT AND 

 FEEDING OF HEAVY HORSES 



By GEORGE MACQUEEN 



At an early period in the history of the world man, who had 

 been endowed with power over the lower animals, began to utilize 

 their strength for the work of cultivating the soil and moving 

 heavy weights. Asses and oxen appear, however, to have been 

 used for that purpose long before horses. We read of oxen and 

 kine being employed for draught purposes and as beasts of burden. 

 We are informed also that the patriarchs of old possessed many 

 sheep, cattle, asses, and camels, but horses are seldom mentioned. 

 The original country of the horse is not known with certainty 

 from any records of history, or from any reliable tradition. As an 

 animal used in warfare the horse is frequently mentioned in early 

 records, and is frequently depicted as such in ancient sculptures 

 recovered from buried cities, where he is represented in all the 

 grandeur of military equipment, but never in the menial occupation 

 of cultivating the soil. 



As an animal used in military operations, for military displays, 

 for purposes of racing, for saddle work, and for harness work, the 

 horse is known to have been used in many countries from early 

 times; but it is difficult to ascertain when people began first to 

 use him for purposes of draught. And it is even more uncertain 

 when and where the heavy type of wagon horse first appeared 

 and was harnessed to work. Most probably he is the product of 

 gradual evolution and development, the result of the efforts ot 

 man to produce an animal fit to move heavy weights. Query: Is 

 there still room for improvement in that respect? 



The old saying that there is " no horse perfect " should 

 encourage further efforts at development towards perfection. Still 

 further encouragement may be derived by looking back half a 

 century, and comparing the heavy horse of that period with the 



