48 THE TROTTING-I10RSE OF AMERICA. 



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. 

 Why this is they do not know, and I am sure I don't ; but 

 it seems to me that it is a reason for not cloying the young 

 animal with all the highly-nutritious food he will eat. If 

 his appetite is satisfied with oats, he will not be likely to 

 eat the grass and hay that nature requires. There is 

 another thing on this point which has occurred to me, but I 

 only throw it out as a suggestion. While the animal is 

 young, a good distension 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, if it 

 proceeds in part from proper distension of the stomach, and 

 by that I do not mean the paunch, 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. 



When the colt is weaned, I should give him from three 

 pints to two quarts of grain a day. The quantity may be 

 varied according to his size ; for, if he gives indications of 

 a large frame and loose habit, he will require more than a 

 compact colt, who keeps in good order, and fills out with 

 substance as he grows up. The pasturage is still the main 

 thing; and, if that is good, two quarts of grain will be 

 much better than more of the latter, and little or nothing 

 to be picked up on the bare herbage. With proper care 

 and attention, a good bite of grass may be secured for the 

 colts until very late in the fall ; and they should have all 

 the hay they will eat when it begins to fail. The grain 

 should be oats of good quality. I do not like to let colts 

 have corn at all when young ; and even to old horses I 

 think it should be fed very sparingly. In the winter of the 

 first year, the colt must have a good place to run in, and be 

 well housed at night, and regularly fed and watered. It 



