THE HORSE 261 



ally quarrelsome, and abortions frequently occur from injuries 

 received at the heels of other horses. If j^roper care be taken, 

 the mare can safely be used at the ordinary work of the farm up 

 to the very day of foaling; but as the time approaches it is im- 

 portant that the work be not heavy or the pace rapid. She must 

 not be fretted by the other horses or by rough, inexperienced 

 hands. 



Feeding the pregnant mare. — The food of the pregnant mare 

 is most important. Fat production is to ])e avoided, and the for- 

 mation of blood, muscle, and bone should be induced. Foods rich 

 in protein and ash, such as oats, bran, clover, and alfalfa, are 

 preferable to starchy foods, such as corn. A very good ration 

 for the pregnant mare is as follows: four parts ground oats, 

 four parts wheat bran or its equivalent, and one part linseed 

 meal, with bright clover or alfalfa hay for roughage. 



Pregnant animals have a tendency to fatten as pregnancy ad- 

 vances. This tendency must be guarded against in the mare, 

 since superfluous flesh may interfere with the development of 

 the foal, cause abortion, or induce difficulties at parturition, 

 such as milk fever and garget. The ration of the mare should be 

 reduced just before foaling and for a short time thereafter, and 

 should be made laxative by the addition of a succulent food, sucli 

 as carrots, or an occasional bran mash. 



The mare after foaling. — If all is normal after foaling, the 

 mare will usually get up and care for her foal. After she is on 

 her feet there should be offered her a drink of gruel, made from 

 a pound of fine oatmeal in half a bucket of water from which the 

 chill has been taken. While the mare should be lightly worked 

 up to the day of foaling, it is essential that she have a few days 

 rest after foaling; how long a rest she should have A\dll depend 

 on the condition of the mare and the foal, and on the financial 

 circumstances of the breeder. As soon as the mare is able, how- 

 ever, she should be given light exercise, since exercise is essen- 

 tial to the well-being of both mare and foal. 



The foods given the brood mare when nursing her foal should 

 be such as have a tendency to produce milk. Timothy hay and 

 corn alone are not good milk-producing foods. The ration sug- 

 gested above for the pregnant mare is better, and it could be 

 much improved if a small quantity of succulent food, such as 

 carrots, were fed with it. Many mares at best are poor milk- 

 producers and they must be encouraged. Plenty of good, fresh 

 grass is one of the best aids to healthy and abundant nutrition 

 for both mare and foal. 



