22 STABLE MANAGEMENT. 



of treading out the grain by bullocks, mixed in 

 with the feed, will usually make them masticate 

 it properly. 



Spilling Food on Ground. 



Horses have also a trick sometimes of throwing 

 their food out of the bucket or manger, and spilling 

 a quantity on the ground. Not only is a large 

 amount wasted, but when the animal has finished 

 what is left, and tries at his leisure to gather up 

 what is on the ground, he eats a large amount of 

 earth and dirt with it, which is injurious. The best 

 way I know to prevent this is to feed the horse 

 on a cloth on the ground; any bit of old sacking 

 about four feet square will answer for the purpose. 



Grass. 



In India hay is not often seen, and horses are fed 

 on grass; even race-horses are trained on it. This 

 may at first sound strange, but Indian grass is very 

 different to English meadow grass, and chiefly con- 

 sists of the roots and runners, the actual blade of 

 grass not being more than about an inch long. The 

 best grass is what is known as "dhoob." It is a 

 short grass, with long roots and suckers, which is 

 dug up out of the ground with a short iron hoe or 



