16 



CHAPTER XII 



THE TREATMENT OF THE FOAL' 



Always keep a horse in high condition, provided it does not get 

 above itself. 



The following is an excellent method to fatten a foal : Boil 

 ten quarts of cow's- milk; add of roughly pounded wheat 2 lbs. ; 

 boil and sweeten with raw sugar.^ Make the foal drink this in 

 the morning after watering, and continue the treatment for as 

 long as you like ; but while giving the khlr you must also give 

 daily, before watering,^ two tolm of roughly pounded pepper-corns 

 made into a bolus with coarse wheaten flour {dtd) and water. 



If you want to fatten a horse quickly, give it, for forty days, 

 turmeric soaked in milk for twenty-four hours,^ as follows : Procure 

 some turmeric ; roughly pound it and lay it aside. In the morning 

 take 4 ozs. and soak it in good cow's ^ milk, and give the mixture the 

 following morning, well stirred. Give this just before the morning 

 feed. Then soak in milk a fresh dose of turmeric for the next day. 

 Gradually increase the amount of turmeric from 4 ozs.. to 8 ozs. 



Another Method. — Take meal of parched gram ; knead it and 

 make it into four flat cakes, each about half a pound in weight. 

 When cooked, break up and mix with a quart of milk and khan d J 

 Give in place of the morning feed after watering. Your horse will 

 become as lusty as a lion^ in forty days. 



Anothee Method. — To make a horse round and fat beyond 



1 Bachherd or bachherd, " a colt," and hachhert, &c. " a filly." 



2 Natives have a prejudice against giving horses buffalo's milk as 

 they imagine it causes horses to wallow or lie down in water. 



3 Khdnd, coarse brown sugar (sugar clarified and the syrup then 

 gradually boiled down to a hard consistence) ; the kind generally given 

 to horses is mtzd khdnd. The usual method is to set aside the kMr 

 (properly the name for cooked rice and milk) to cool after cooking, and 

 when cold to mix 4 lbs. of khdnd in it. 



* Usually given about one hour before watering. 



•'' Ath-pahari haldl (dealer's slang). Turmeric is usually given to 

 old horses. From Tagore's pamphlet we learn that " the tired horse is 

 soon refreshed by taking milk or rice-pudding." 



6 About one pint. 



7 About 1 lb. of khdnd. 



8 Mdnd kd sand, lit. " a widow's stallion." 



