HORSE— CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



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eral appearance of the horse, especially 

 rfbout the eyes, as will be hereafter 

 shown. 



Mares are very commonly allowed to 

 breed in their third year, being put to 

 the horse at two years old. They often, 

 however, come " in season " as yearlings, 

 and many would then breed if allowed 

 to be covered. It is found by experience 

 that the foal robs the dam of some of the 

 nourishment which is destined by nature 

 to develop the maternal frame, and hence 

 the young mare is injured in size and 

 substance if she breeds before she has 

 come very near maturity. 



HORSE, Age, Average. — The average 

 age of the horse, when allowed to live 

 without the risk of accidents and disease 

 which he incurs in his usual work, is 

 about twenty-five years. Instances of 

 greater longevity are recorded on good 

 authority, and there is reason to believe 

 that occasionally he has reached to thirty- 

 five or even forty years, but these are 

 rare exceptions, and there are few which 

 live beyond the twenty-eighth year, while 

 a large proportion die before the twenty- 

 fifth. Stallions are over-fed and under- 

 exercised in proportion, so that it is no 

 wonder they become diseased, and sel- 

 dom die from old age ; but brood-mares 

 are not so mismanaged, and it is found 

 that they become quite worn out soon 

 after their twentieth year; and even if 

 allowed to live they waste away and die 

 by degrees, generally somewhere between 

 their twenty-third and twenty-eighth year. 



HORSE, Moulting Periodical. — The 

 horse sheds his coat once a year in all 

 countries, and in our climate a second 

 half-moult is performed in the autumn, 

 when the summer short coat is partially 

 shed. This second change consists, how- 

 ever, chiefly in a growth of the already 

 existing hairs, which become coarser and 

 longer, especially about the legs and un- 

 der-parts of the body. At the same time 

 the coat loses its gloss, and the color is 

 less rich, blacks becoming rusty brown, 

 and bays more yellow or sandy-colored 

 than before, The hair of the mane and 

 tail is constantly in a state of growth, and 

 is not shed periodically. 



HORSE, Development Mental. — In 

 mental development the horse ranks be- 

 low the dog, but he is capable of a consid- 

 erable degree of education, though in coun- 



tries where he is kept constantly confined 

 he does not appear to great advantage in 

 this respect. That he may be made to 

 understand what is said to him is clear 

 enough from the mode of managing farm 

 horses, which are all taught to obey the 

 voice. I have on one occasion seen a 

 circus horse walk, trot and gallop at the 

 word of command, and change his pace* 

 on the instant ; but this feat I have never 

 known performed by any other exhibitor, 

 nor do I think it would easily be imitated. 

 It requires a high order of intellect to 

 distinguish between the three paces and 

 change them on the instant, and if I had 

 not myself witnessed the performance on 

 two several occasions I should scarcely 

 have credited it. The brain of this ani- 

 mal does not require much rest by sleep, 

 and four or five hours in quiet are suffi- 

 cient to keep him in health if he is not 

 very hard worked. He readily sleeps 

 standing, and some individuals never lie 

 down ; but this habit of sleeping stand- 

 ing should not be encouraged, as it greatly 

 distresses the legs, and tends to produce 

 fever of the feet, or some other mischief 

 in the lower extremities. 



HORSE, Stomach, Small.— One of the 

 greatest peculiarities in the structure of the 

 horse is the small size of his stomach, which 

 is also of a very simple nature. He is 

 likewise without a gall-bladder, showing 

 that the digestion must be continuous 

 and not interrupted by distinct intervals, 

 as in the ruminants and carnivora. Na- 

 ture has thus framed this animal, in order 

 that he may be at all times able to exert 

 his utmost speed, which he could not do 

 with the mass of provender in his stom- 

 ach which is carried by the cow or sheep. 

 The same provision is shown in the udder 

 of the mare, which is not larger than that 

 of the goat or sheep. 



HORSES, Breeding Mares, best kind 

 of. — First: Size, symmetry, and sound- 

 ness are mostly to be regarded in the 

 mare — blood from the sire, beauty from 

 the dam, is the golden rule. Second: 

 She should have a roomy frame, hips 

 somewhat sloping, a little more than the 

 average length, wide-chested, deep in the 

 girth, quarters strong and well let down, 

 hocks wide apart, wide and deep in the 

 pelvis. Third: In temper she should be 

 gentle, courageous, free from all irritability 

 and viciousness. Fourth: Previous to 



