CASTRATION 191 



they will cat of the best upland hay, in its natural state, after they have 

 iinislird their allowance of corn. Young stock intended to be sold as 

 hunters and first-class carriage-horses are always allowed half a peck of 

 bruised oats, and a few carrots and turnips will not be thrown away upon 

 them. Hacks, and inferior young stock of all kinds, get through the winter 

 upon hay and barley-straw, part being sometimes cut into chaff, and mixed 

 with a quartern of bran, daily ; and if they are very low in flesh, a few oats 

 bring added. During severe frosts the straw-yard is the best place for the 

 foal, on account of the hardness of the ground in the fields, and here he will 

 easily keep himself warm and dry, and he can be attended to according to 

 his wants. Let the breeder, however, constantly bear in mind that a check 

 given to the growth in the first winter is never afterwards entirely recovered, 

 and that if the colt which has experienced it turns out well he would have 

 been still better without it. 



CASTRATION 



THE OPERATION for converting the horse into the gelding is usually per- 

 formed when the colt is a yearling. In the southern and western counties 

 April and May may be chosen, and further north June and July. The 

 weather should be warm and dry, avoiding east winds, and not deferring 

 the operation till the flies become numerous. Many castrators hold the 

 opinion that " it cannot be too hot for a colt or too cold for a lamb." 

 Although this is somewhat of an exaggeration we would prefer a hot day 

 to a cold one. Much, however, will depend upon the development of the 

 individual, it being ascertained that the longer a colt remains uncut the 

 more is the fore-quarter developed, and especially the head and neck. If, 

 therefore, these parts, as well as the shoulders, are already forward in their 

 growth, the operation should be performed early ; while, if the contrary 

 state exists, it should be deferred till a later period. 



There is, of course, an element of danger in castration at any age, and 

 with each year it would appear to increase. The insurance companies 

 charge at about the rate of four per cent, for colts under two years. When 

 asked the rate for an eight-year-old son of Bendor, one company replied 

 ten per cent., and another twelve. The greatest age at which we have 

 known a horse successfully operated on, was seventeen (a son of Wild 

 Dayrell). As to the operation itself, the preparation necessary and the 

 subsequent treatment, full directions are given at page 630. 



