Management and Feeding of Heavy Horses 1 3 1 



"soft" condition. They now want a little extra attention and a 

 little extra corn to keep them up to their work. As the winter 

 comes on the work will be less arduous, and the horses will gain in 

 condition. 



During long idle spells in wintry weather there is a danger of 

 overdoing them with corn, to the detriment of their feet and legs. 

 If possible, it is better to give them some little work to do. It 

 may be a difficult task, perhaps, to find work for a lot of horses on 

 some farms during a long spell of frost and snow. But the corn 

 then had better be curtailed, the racks may be filled with straw 

 instead of hay, and a few roots may be given when free from 

 frost. 



In many of the farm stables in Scotland a pailful of boiled food 

 is given to each horse at supper time, and another in the morning 

 for breakfast. The boiled food consists of chaff, turnips, and grain 

 the inferior barley, beans, or oats being utilized in that way. The 

 food is made better at busy times and poorer in idle times by add- 

 ing to or withholding some of the grain. This system of using so 

 much boiled food (almost unknown in England) is not altogether 

 to be commended, and is accountable for a great amount of colic 

 and constipation. 



The writer has had considerable experience of both systems, 

 and has no hesitation in giving preference to the English system as 

 being much the healthier. The horse has a comparatively small 

 stomach and ought to have food in small quantities at a time. The 

 bulky nature of the boiled food, often swallowed too greedily and 

 without proper mastication, no doubt is responsible for the frequent 

 stomach troubles. The bulky food of the farm horse should always 

 be given in a form that it must be chewed and the concentrated 

 food given in small quantities. The water supply is important, 

 and should always be pure ; as a rule "soft water is preferable, and 

 horses often prefer the half-muddy water of a pond to clear spring 

 water from a well. Doubtless horses acquire a taste for certain 

 water, and often refuse to drink at a strange place although the 

 water appears to be better. The time of watering and amount of 

 water allowed are of special importance. Water should be offered 

 to horses in the stable first thing in the morning before anything 

 else, and at that time they may have as much as they will drink. 

 They are then in good trim for breakfast, and when drawn out to 

 work an hour or two afterwards they should be allowed only a few 

 mouthfuls. When returning from work the horse should again have 

 water before being fed, care being taken that he does not drink too 

 much cold water when he is very hot and perspiring, a little less 



