CHAPTER XI 



THE DROOD MARE AND HER FOAL 



HOVEL AND TADDOCK — GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF THE BROOD MARE — TREATMENT ■WHEN 

 IS FOAL — TREATMENT AFTER FOALING — EARLY TREATMENT OF THE FOAL — THE 

 ■WEANING AND AFTER TREATMENT OF THE FOAL— CASTRATION. 



Having already alluded to the principles which should guide the breeder 

 in the choice of his mares, I need not further allude to them beyond the 

 remark that, independently of those which I have indicated, he must take 

 care that they are each possessed of a frame suitable to carry a foal, and 

 of a constitution hardy enough to sustain the drain upon the system 

 caused by the young animal, both before and after birth. If the pelvis 

 and back ribs are not large and deep, the foetus will not have room to be 

 developed and brought into the world ; and unless the mare is a good 

 feeder, and is also furnished with an udder which will give sufficient milk, 

 she will not afford enough nourishment to her foal, which will, therefore, 

 be weakly and badly developed in its proportions. The shape may be 

 easily detected beforehand, but the constitution and milking properties 

 cannot so well be predicated, though the experienced eye and hand of the 

 stud groom will enable him to give a tolerably correct guess. 



HOVEL AND PADDOCK 



If the breeder is about to undertake the production of a number of 

 horses of any kind, he must establish a regular stud-farm, which for all 

 horses should be on sound upland, with a subsoil of chalk or gravel. The 

 presence of fine white clovers is in itself almost sufficient to show that the 

 soil will be suitable to the horse ; but, if possible, there should be an abso- 

 lute practical knowledge that the situation has agreed with the animal, 

 before any heavy investment is made. If the surface fall is good, draining 

 may not be necessary, but in most cases the herbage will be greatly im- 

 proved by the introduction of tiles. Low, marshy situations may serve 

 during the autumn months to freshen up a stall horse, but they are utterly 

 unfit for the rearing of young stock, and should be carefully avoided. If 

 the stud is highly bred, and the feeding is to be good, the colts will be 

 very mischievous, and unless care is taken to make the fences safe, they 

 will break bounds, or injure themselves in the attempt. Deep ditches are 



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