PRINCIPLES OF HORSE FEEDING. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The scientific study of different problems connected with the feeding 

 of farm animals has been followed for something over half a century. 

 Some of the very early work was with horses, but more generally it 

 was carried on with other domestic animals. Within the last few years 

 this phase of the problem has received much more attention, and feed- 

 ing tests, digestion experiments, and more complicated investigations 

 have accumulated in considerable numbers. The bulk of this work 

 has been carried on in France and German}^; a creditable amount, 

 however, has been done in this country, notabl}" by the agricultural 

 experiment stations, and the results of these experiments and obser- 

 vations have been published from time to time, and are very useful. 

 Mention must be made also of the work of practical feeders, which is 

 of great value. 



In the present bulletin the attempt is made to bring together some 

 of the more important results and deductions which may be gathered 

 from the American and foreign experimental work, especially that of 

 recent years. It is not the purpose to provide practical feeders with 

 directions for feeding according to a particular formula; indeed this 

 is not necessar}', if it were possible, for practical feeders to a great 

 extent understand the needs of their horses and how to meet them. 

 The object is rather to summarize matter which seems interesting and 

 valuable, and whicli in many cases may give the reason for something 

 of which the wisdom has long been recognized in practice. 



The problem of horse feeding is one which each feeder solves more 

 or less for himself, the opinion regarding what is and what is not sat- 

 isfactory feed varying more or less with the time and place. Opinions 

 may differ as to the value of this food or that, but it is evident that 

 the actual food requirements of a horse performing a given amount of 

 work can not vary as a result of a change of opinion on the feeder's 

 part. With horses, as with all animals, including man, the real prob- 

 lem is to suppl}^ sufficient nutritive material for building and repairing 

 the body and furnishing it with the energy necessary for performing 

 work, whether it be that which goes on inside the body (the beating 

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