36 HORSE-MASTERSHIP 



stipation is never well or fit for work. If 

 you must give medicine, give linseed oil or a 

 couple of ounces of Epsom salts in a bran 

 mash. I always mix plenty of chaff with 

 the oats which, for most horses, are best 

 crushed. If you give plenty of chaff the 

 horse must chew his oats properly and 

 thoroughly, and, as I explained to you in my 

 lectures on " War with Disease," the most 

 important and essential part of digestion is 

 carried on in the mouth. Unchewed food is 

 never digested, and this is particularly the 

 case with the horse who has splendid grinders 

 for the purpose. These grinders, by-the-by, 

 sometimes require a little filing, and I have 

 known bad (apparently) horses converted 

 into good ones by a little attention to the 

 state of their mouths, and, indeed, in the case 

 of young horses, I have seen the simple 

 removal of lampas from behind the incisor 

 teeth cause immediate improvement in form. 

 About hay, give as much as you find your 

 horse eats, and give it to him as good as 

 you can afford to buy. Don't give spiced 



