298 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



the risk of causing some horsy person to throw down 

 my book in disgust — I will state this elementary 

 fact : A bran mash, 1 consisting ordinarily of six 

 quarts, is made by pouring boiling water upon the 

 bran, stirring it, and then covering it with a thick 

 cloth or otherwise, and letting it steam for fifteen 

 or twenty minutes. The cloth may then be removed 

 and the bran given to the horse, in winter while it 

 is still warm, in summer when it is cool. 



All tough healthy horses need bran, or its equiva- 

 lent. In fact, this general proposition may be laid 

 down : strong horses kept on stable food have a ten- 

 dency to tightness of the bowels, just as delicate 

 horses have the opposite tendency. In the latter case, 

 a simple remedy, to be used whenever necessary, is a 

 cupful of ordinary wheat flour mixed with the grain 

 or put in a pail of water. In some stables the horses 

 are " salted " when they receive a bran mash ; but 

 the better plan is alwa}^s to have a lump of rock salt 

 in a little rack by itself, where it will not contaminate 

 the oats. Thus the horse can help himself according 

 to his needs. When salt is given only occasionally, 

 the animal is sure to take a great deal, and to follow 

 it up by drinking immoderately of cold water. Colic 

 has often been caused in this manner. 



Bran is a kind of artificial grass, and in summer I 

 prefer to let my horses graze a little, or, if this be 

 impracticable, to have grass cut for them, which they 

 like much less. jSTot many years ago it would have 

 been thought madness to give grass to a horse in full 

 training ; but this is done nowadays with great benefit 



1 I use the generic term " bran," but I mean " shorts," which 

 have more bodv than bran . 



