77S THE FARMERS HANDBOOK. 



THE HORSE. 



To attain the maximum of efficiency a hor.se requires food in which the 

 concentrates (grain, ifcc.) and the roughage (chaff, hay, straw, <tc.) are more 

 or less correctly proportioned. For resting horses, or those doing little and 

 slow work, all concentrates may be cut out, but the harder or faster the work 

 to be performed, the greater the proportion of concentrated food required. 

 This principle must not, however, be pushed too far, since on a diet of con- 

 centrates alone the horse fails properly to utilise the food given him, and a 

 certain quantity of roughage is essential to digestion and comfort. 



If the ration of the army horse, which is called upon to do regular and 

 hard work, is taken as a basis, it will be seen that one of equal parts 

 (roughly) of grain and hay or chaff, varying from 10 to 15 lb. of each for 

 light and heavy horses respectively, the medium coming in between on 12 lb., 

 was found to be the most satisfactory. The undoubted success which 

 attended the use of this ration inclines us to accept it as a standard. 

 Whenever a reduction has to be made it is always preferable to make it in 

 the chaff or hay. With horses in this country it is often difficult to estimate 

 just what they are getting, owing to the custom of cutting oats and wheat 

 in the unripened state for chaff ; some of the best samples of chaff are very 

 nearly equal to a half grain ration, while other samples are hardly above 

 straw value. This must be taken into consideration in estimating the 

 amount of grain to be added to produce a good ration. 



Broadly speaking, there is a decided tendency to over-estimate the value 

 of the average chaff ration and to undervalue the use of grain in conjunction 

 with it. Instances have occurred during the recent dry period when it was 

 cheaper to buy oats than chaff, taking into consideration their respective 

 food values and the quantity required as a maintenance ration. One of the 

 objections to a ration composed solely of chaff, especially if of inferior 

 quality, is the large quantity required and the consequent amount of labour 

 imposed on the digestive organs of the horse in extracting sufficient nutritive 

 material to supply his wants. A. smaller quantity of grain will give more 

 nutritive material at the cost of less energy to the horse and less money in 

 freight and trouble in handling to the owner. 



Where horses are partly grass-fed and partly hand-fed, the value of grain 

 as against chaff is very high because the horse is getting his roughage himself. 

 When the grass is on the dry side, sufficient roughage is obtained in this way 

 to supply his needs in that direction. To balance his ration, however, grain 

 is required, and the comparative prices and food values should be considered 

 when deciding which to purchase. Too often advice to improve a ration i* 

 interpreted to mean give more chaff, and so the animal is still further 

 overloaded. A ration containing too great a proportion of concentrates will, 

 if maintained for long, lead to impairment of digestion and waste, owing to 

 improper assimilation, while a diet containing too much roughage will not 

 permit of constant heavy work and is liable to lead to impaction. 



Methods of Feeding. 



Whatever the feed given it should be well divided. The horse does best 

 if fed little and often, but conditions of work reduce the maximum number 

 of feeds practicable to three or four, all of which should preferably 

 contain both grain and chaff. Probably the best system, if it can be 

 managed, consists of three roughly equal feeds of mixed grain and chaff and 



