WATERING AND FEEDING 33 



eating of hay does make him thirsty, and therefore a 

 horse should always be watered after eating his hay; 

 not necessarily immediately after, in fact, it would 

 probably be better to let an hour elapse between the 

 time when he finishes his hay and the time when water 

 is given. This, however, is not so important. The 

 great matter is to water him after he has had his hay, 

 especially at night. To leave a horse without water 

 all night is not only cruel but bad economy. 



The whole system of a horse craves water after he 

 has eaten his hay, hay being both a dry and a bulky 

 food, and the digestion of the hay cannot take place 

 properly, especially In the intestines, unless the horse 

 receives water after eating it. Nothing could be worse 

 than the practice of giving a horse a lot of hay late 

 in the afternoon or in the evening, and letting him 

 go without water until the next morning. If, how- 

 ever, he is watered after eating his hay and then 

 receives his grain, he will not, as a rule, need any more 

 water until the next 'morning, and even then he will 

 probably not be thirsty, unless the weather is hot, 

 until he has had his morning supply of hay. Gilbert 

 Tompkins, a high authority, says on this point : 



The time when water counts for the most is after the evening 

 meal has been eaten and digested. A good drink at that time 

 washes away undigested debris, restores the natural fluids of 

 the body, and brings on a restful sleep, not disturbed by thirst. 



Horses, as is well known, require pure water, and 

 are very fastidious about it. Water that contains 

 much sediment of any kind is bad for them, because 



