134 



ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



animal is 

 to carry. 



Effect of 

 feeding on 

 condition. 



accustomed to the pressure of the load for hours at a stretch, sore 

 backs will result, however good the general condition. 



Effect of feeding 071 condition. — To produce the best results, the policy 

 of full feeding and fair work must be adopted. No other combination 

 will get the best out of an animal. A small ration and little work will 

 keep him round in appearance, but whether a camel or a charger, plenty 

 of food and sufficient work, judiciously combined, is the only routine 

 which will really fit him for use in war. This adjustment of ration to 

 work is a practical point which a book cannot teach ; it is one of the 

 hall-marks of a good horsemaster and must be gained by observation 

 and experience. When the work is light, e.g.^ at the beginning of a 

 young horse's training, half a full corn ration is generally accepted as 

 a standard on which to begin feeding, but a rule of thumb method 

 should be avoided and each horse's needs considered ; in no case 

 should the ration be so small, or the work so hard, that the colt's 

 " bloom," i.e.^ his round and glossy sleekness, disappears. 



Thirst and sweating are very prominent features of the early stages 

 of training, and are to some extent dependent on each other. Apart 

 from the sweating which may naturally be expected as a result of work, 

 some young horses are liable to sweat very profusely from purely nervous 

 causes, and more especially when the work is conducted in a confined 

 atmosphere. 



It is not always possible to prevent every young horse SAveating from 

 the excitement of new lessons, particularly in the case of highly bred or 

 excitable colts ; but such outbreaks take more out of a horse than a far 

 greater amount of quiet work, and should be avoided in every way. 



Working in the open air in preference to a roofed school, absolute 

 quietness of methods, the avoidance of long monotonous lessons, and 

 the example of older, well-behaved animals, doing the same things 

 quietly, are all valuable in keeping horses cool in body and temper ; 

 but there are instances, as stated above, where sweating cannot be 

 prevented, and thirst is a natural result. Thirsty horses are to be 

 allowed to drink their fill ; it is best that they should not be sweating, 

 but the fact of their being hot need not be a bar to their drinking, if 

 care is taken to keep them on the move till cool, and so prevent risk of 

 chills. As their condition improves the keenness of their thirst will 

 diminish. 



The quantity and quality of the stveat is very generally taken as an 

 index of condition, and rightly so. When the body is soft and flabby, 

 slight exertion produces a copious sweating, of a soapy, lathery nature, 

 which dries slowly, and frequently breaks out again. As the condition 



