312 NAVIX ox THE HOESE. 



especially the fetlock, changes the natural symmetry of the 

 body, and also has a tendency to injm'e the form of the back 

 and ribs. After this burden is got rid of, at foaling, then 

 comes the reduction on the system by the suckling of the foal. 

 All these influences combined destroy the strength, form, and 

 size of the mare. Besides all this, the foal comes of small 

 size, not having had room in the space allowed by nature, and 

 will necessarily be very delicate. It also has to be suckled by 

 a mare that must continue to grow, and needs all that nature 

 furnishes for that purpose. Thus both the dam and foal must 

 be deprived of the full, natural demands of their systems, and 

 they are both injured for all future time. 



If a mare is well treated through life, allowing her to mature 

 before juitting her to breed, she will continue to bring good 

 foals until she is twenty, and some even above that age. But 

 if hard worked and poorly fed, so as to show the effect of such 

 treatment, she can not be expected to bring and raise as good 

 foals as if she had been otherwise treated. 



The mare is said to go with foal eleven months, or three 

 hundred days; but fully develoj^ed foals have been brought 

 forth live weeks earlier than this, while in other instances mares 

 have carried their foals six weeks beyond this time. Farmers 

 should not lose sight of this in putting their mares ; for they 

 should have their colts come at a time when there is some 

 grass, as the mare will do much better not to be confined 

 entirely to dry feed at foaling. Some Avriters say that from 

 the time a mare is put to the horse she may be used gener- 

 ally. But from this opinion my own observation and expe- 

 rience constrain me to dissent. I insist that she should be 

 allowed to stand idle until the sensation of her heat, or season, 

 as it is sometimes called, subsides. After conception, every 

 mare, if permitted to go free, will stand by a fence or tree in 

 a dormant position, after her heat goes off. JNTow, if at this 

 time she be overworked or scared, she will cast the concep- 

 tion, and will require to be served again. I need not explain 



