266 THE HANDBOOK FOR PRACTICAL FARMERS 



FEEDING AND CARE OF THE HORSE 



The efficiency of the horse and the comfort with which he per- 

 forms his labor will depend largely on the general care and 

 management that he receives. In some lines of work, neglect 

 one day may largely be made up the next, but in caring for the 

 horse this is not jDOSsible. Injury resulting from neglect is 

 always attended with loss that cannot be atoned for, even by 

 special care given subsequently. 



The work horse should have rich food ; the richer the food, the 

 more easily it is digested and the greater is the proportion that 

 becomes available in energy. He should be fed liberally and fre- 

 quently. He has a good appetite and a vigorous digestion, and 

 responds to intelligent care. Regularity in feeding, watering, 

 and working brings comfort to the horse and results in long 

 years of usefulness; while irregularity in these essentials is 

 likely to lead to digestive disorders and other derangements. 



Amount of food needed. — Many experiments have been con- 

 ducted in order to determine the relation between the amount 

 of muscular work to be done and the amount of food required 

 for its performance. As a result of such experiments, feeding 

 standards have been established which serve to show the amount 

 of food required each day by a working horse. 



This feeding standard should be modified according to the 

 size of the horse as well as the amount and the kind of work that 

 he is required to perform. In practice the work horse is sup- 

 plied with approximately two and one-half pounds of provender 

 daily for each one hundred pounds weight. Of this amount, one- 

 third to two-thirds — the exact amount depending on the severity 

 of the labor — should be grain, and the remainder should be 

 sweet, clean hay. When work is heavy the grain in the ration 

 should be increased and the hay diminished, since grain fur- 

 nishes more energy and is more easily digested. On the other 

 hand, when work is light, the grain should be diminished and 

 the hay increased. 



While the amount of food to be given a large number of horses 

 can be estimated closely, yet the rations should be modified so 

 as to meet the needs of each animal. One horse may need a little 

 more than the regular allowance and the second horse a little 

 less, since some horses are kept in condition less easily than 

 others doing the same amount of work under similar circum- 

 stances. 



Order of watering and feeding. — Because of the small size 

 of the horse's stomach, the order of supplying grain, hay, and 



