QUANTITY OF FOOD. 89 



The scale of rations for troop horses is usually 10 lbs. of oats ; 

 12 lbs. of hay ; 8 lbs. of straw — the latter allowed for litter ; but 

 when the duty is severe, or when the horses are in camp, from 

 2 lbs. to 4 lbs. additional oats are allowed ; in camp no straw is 

 given for bedding. In all cases the hay is given unchopped. 



For hunters, much will depend, of course, upon the size of 

 the animal and the amount of work demanded from him. 

 Large horses, say 16 hands high, doing two days a week in the 

 field, 16 lbs. of good oats and 10 lbs. of hay is not too great 

 an allowance ; 2 lbs. of split beans might be substituted for 

 2 lbs. of oats with advantage ; for smaller sized hunters the 

 allowance may be less, but it can rarely be reduced below 

 12 lbs. per diem, with 12 lbs. of hay. For all hunters a small 

 proportion of the hay, say 4 lbs., should be chopped and mixed 

 with the grain ; 2 lbs. or 3 lbs. of carrots may be advantageously 

 given at intervals. 



For carriage horses doing light work 10 lbs. of corn and 

 12 lbs. of hay are quite sufficient ; in some cases 8 lbs. of corn 

 and 14 lbs. of hay would suffice. 



Ponies and undersized horses do not require so much grain, 

 of course ; indeed, for ponies, unless the work is very hard, a 

 very small allowance of oats, say 4 lbs. per diem, is all that 

 is required ; hay and roots being often quite enough to keep 

 them in good condition. 



It is a good plan to vary the diet now and again — such as 

 giving a bran or linseed mash once or twice a week. An 

 important question arises when treating of the quantity of the 

 food a horse should receive, and that is with regard to bulk. 

 Attempts are made from time to time to feed horses on con- 

 centrated food, with the view of securing facility of trans- 

 port; but it is forgotten that a certain degree of bulk is 

 necessary in all food, in order that the digestive organs may 

 perform their function properly. During working time food 

 of less bulk may be given, such as oats, as it interferes less 



