38 THE HORSE 



refreshing for work-horses in the city than grass; and 

 it can easily be sent to the city in bags, at small 

 expense. 



Farmers often put their work-horses in pasture every 

 night, but some care should be exercised about this. A 

 hard-worked horse should be turned out only on warm 

 nights, and his chief food should be hay, not grass. 



Some care should also be exercised in transferring a 

 horse from stable to pasture. Let him be fed grass, 

 a little every day, until his stomach is accustomed to 

 the change; and take off his stable blanket. There is 

 great danger in making a sudden change from a warm 

 stable to a pasture. But if you are bound to do so, 

 turn the horse out at night rather than in the morning. 

 If he begins his pasture life in the morning, his stomach 

 will be full by night, and he will then lie down and 

 perhaps get cold or colic; whereas if he is turned out 

 at night-fall, he will graze all night, and will not lie 

 down until the morning sun has warmed the air and 

 the ground. 



SODS 



A horse that has no access to pasture should be given 

 now and then a sod or piece of turf. He craves the 

 earth which is thus obtained, and it is good for his 

 digestion. Everyone has noticed that when a horse 

 is turned out in a field, his first act is to paw up the earth 

 or sod and eat that, even before he takes a mouthful 

 of grass. 



