156 



both will be found to contain some oats which 

 pass through in a perfect state. 



All persons conversant with horses seem to 

 agree that oats would be better if bruised in a 

 mill. There is no doubt of their affording 

 more nourishment, but they would clog the 

 horse^s mouth ; and it is a question whether 

 .the exercise of grinding his own oats be not 

 beneficial to the animal, by strengthening his 

 teeth, gums, and jaw bones. Stones and gra- 

 vel are so unpleasant and injurious to a horse 

 that it may be observed when he feels one of 

 these in his mouth, he will drop the whole 

 mouthful at a distance from the rest, suspect- 

 ing that more remains in the feed. Those 

 who feed horses at picket, or with a bag slipped 

 over the head and on the nose, should care- 

 fully examine that there are no stones among 

 the oats, as the animal is deprived of the ad- 

 vantage of discharging it, as in a manger. 



Regularity in meals is as essential to the health 

 of a horse as to that of a man. Feeding them, 

 at fixed hours preserves the tone of the sto- 

 mach, and prevents that relaxation which is so 

 injurious to the constitution j and it is a prac-- 

 tice which should never be neglected, if cmer.-. 



