CHAPTER V 



HORSES 



The number of horses kept on a holding for 

 farm work is largely determined by the amount 

 of arable land there is, as it is the working of 

 this for which horse labour is primarily required. 

 Roughly speaking, one team of horses is re- 

 quired for every 50-60 acres of arable. A team 

 consists of two, three or four horses according 

 to the nature of the soil, as the heavier the soil 

 the more horses will be required per team. 



Cart-horse breeding cannot very well be 

 gone in for on arable farms, and is best confined 

 to farms having a fair proportion of ordinary 

 grass land, not rich, fattening grass, but bone 

 and-muscle-forming pasture. Breeding heavy 

 cart horses undoubtedly pays best ; they should 

 be sound, big and well-proportioned horses, and 

 are at their best at five to six years old. If 

 horse-breeding is to be gone in for on a mixed 



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