COST OF KEEP. 131 



Tims we see a moderate horse is, with good 

 management, to be kept for, say eleven shillings 

 a week, so for as feeding goes. Horses working 

 harder, or larger horses, must, of course, get 

 more ; but as reckoning corn at a fair average, 

 it will cost about two-pence farthing a quartern, 

 if five feeds or six become necessary, there can be 

 no difficulty in any person calculating what his 

 horse's provender ought to cost, if kept in the 

 owner's stable ; and, allowing a horse to get the 

 topmost quantity of oats that private horses ever 

 eat that is, six quarterns per day the keep 

 only then comes to about 13s. 4d. per week as to 

 forage. 



Since the first edition of this book was written, a 

 very considerable reduction having taken place in 

 the price of all kinds of horse provender, of course 

 the cost of keeping horses has very greatly dimi- 

 nished ; but as the prices I have quoted are only fair 

 remunerative ones to the farmer, and we cannot 

 see into the effects time may produce on prices, I 

 let those mentioned stand. 



It may be said, and with great truth, that 

 horses belonging to ladies particularly, are gene- 

 rally badly managed, and the owners much im- 

 posed upon. First, ladies cannot go into their 

 stables to see how things are done. I have no 

 wish they should go there, neither is it at all 

 necessary ; and, indeed, setting aside the impro- 



K 2 



