THE CARE OF HORSES. 295 



whereas, if the supply be stinted, a large part of it 

 will become so dirty as to be incapable of further 

 use. Bedding is only less important than 



Feeding. 



Under fed, hard worked horses sometimes fall in the 

 street from sheer weakness, induced by want of oats. 

 On the other hand, many, perhaps most, gentlemen's 

 horses are fed too high. In city stables, especially in 

 boarding and club stables, the horses receive too much 

 grain and too little hay. Consequently they are apt 

 to have a shrunken appearance, and to become what is 

 known as "grain-burnt." 



For young horses and colts, hay three times a day, 

 and plenty of it, is indispensable. The physiological 

 reason for this was well stated by Hiram Woodruff, 

 as follows: "In order to thrive, the horse, young or 

 old, must not only have his stomach supplied with a 

 sufficient quantity of nutritious food, but also with 

 enough matter not so highly nutritious to distend it. 

 A horse or a colt fed only on the substances which 

 go to make up his substance would starve, though you 

 gave them to him in the greatest abundance." And 

 he adds, on the same subject: "While the animal is 

 young, a good distention of the stomach is calculated 

 to produce that roundness of rib which we see in 

 so many of our best horses. Now this capacity of 

 the carcass ... is not going to be obtained by the 

 feeding of food in the concentrated shape. Bulk 

 is required, and the pulp and essence need not be 

 given in large quantity until the organization is 

 formed, and extraordinary exertion is required of 

 the horse." 



