340 THE ESSENTIALS OF AGRICULTURE 



their feed. In this case, much of the feed passes through the 

 system without being digested because of improper mastication ; 

 and much of the energy produced by the digested food is wasted 

 in useless fretting. 



442. Adapt the feed to the digestive habits. Compared with 

 other farm animals, the digestive tracts of the horse are limited 

 in capacity. The digestive apparatus of the horse is also more 

 delicate than that of the hog, ox, or sheep, and as a result 

 digestive disturbances are more common among horses than 

 among the other animals named. The proper feeding of the 

 horse, therefore, requires greater intelligence and more care 

 than the feeding of any other domestic animal. It is necessary 

 to feed horses frequently and in moderate quantities, with food 

 that is palatable and of medium bulk. 



443. The standard horse ration. The standard horse ration 

 of the country is oats and timothy hay or prairie hay, or a com- 

 bination of oats and corn and a mixture of timothy and clover 

 hay. Besides possessing the necessary nutrients in about the 

 proper proportions, these foodstuffs are usually free from dust 

 and have the proper bulk. However, oats and timothy hay have 

 become so expensive that there is a constant demand for a ration 

 that will serve the purposes equally well and be cheaper. For 

 horses that are idle or working moderately, many combinations 

 can be made that are quite as efficient and much cheaper. For 

 the brood mares and growing horses, better rations than the stand- 

 ard ration are readily available. For the light horse that is re- 

 quired to make long, hard drives, and for the city horse hard at 

 work, no entirely satisfactory substitute for oats and timothy or 

 prairie hay has been found. 



444. Most farm feeds are suitable for horses. For idle and 

 moderately worked horses and mules, any of the common feeds 

 produced on the farm may be fed, provided they are palatable, 

 clean, and sound, and the proper balance between protein and 

 carbohydrates is maintained. The best and most economical 

 rations are composed of mixtures of a number of feeds. Horses 

 and mules, when fattening, relish a wide variety of feeds. 



