Management and Feeding of Heavy Horses 123 



managed when wanted to work. It also affords an opportunity of 

 training them to trot out and to show their paces, so that if wanted 

 in the show ring or to offer for sale they can be shown off to greater 

 advantage. Besides which, if the colts have not the benefit of a 

 run in a paddock, and if the yard they run in is limited in size, 

 this leading-out exercise should be practised frequently. 



To develop limbs, joints, and muscle in growing colts, plenty 

 of exercise is supremely essential; exercise of all kinds, walking, 

 trotting, and even a little galloping, should be allowed. 



Where a number of colts are together the constant personal 

 supervision of the owner is all-important, to see that all the indi- 

 vidual colts are getting fair play, to see that his instructions are 

 being properly carried out, to see that nothing is going amiss with 

 any one of them, and to compare progress of the different animals. 

 The latter is always an interesting study when one knows the 

 various animals, their history, and the history of their ancestors. 



When just turned a year old the colts not intended for stud 

 purposes must be castrated. A professional expert should be em- 

 ployed, the farmer and his men rendering assistance. There are 

 various ways of performing the operation, each professional adopt- 

 ing the system he has been trained to and considers the best. 

 Some operators recommend casting the colt, by throwing him on 

 his back and fastening his legs securely. Others prefer to operate 

 whilst the colt is standing, a system which lessens the risk of 

 injury to the colt by throwing him, but increases the danger to 

 the operator. Whichever system is adopted care should be taken 

 that the operation is performed in mild, fine weather, easterly 

 winds being avoided, and the colts kept in if rain comes on, as 

 it is undesirable that they get their backs wet. It is undesirable 

 also to have the operation performed when the animal is changing 

 his coat. All being well, the colts will get over the effects of the 

 operation in about a week or ten days, when they may be turned 

 out to grass for the summer. 



A bill was proposed in 191 2 to compel the use of anaesthetics 

 when performing operations causing pain on animals. The bill 

 met with general opposition from farmers because of the great 

 expense it would cause in the castration of calves, lambs, and pigs. 

 If it had been confined to horses only, it would probably have met 

 with no opposition. Indeed, the use of anaesthetics in the castra- 

 tion of colts is being adopted voluntarily by many advanced 

 operators. 



If the pasture is good, the colts should do all right on grass 

 alone. There is a great difference, however, in the quality of soils 



