254 THE HORSE 



it does not blcacken, but remains of a pale, dirty, olive green. Ko one wlio 

 cares for the health and condition of the inmates of his stable should use 

 such hay in it ; for he will find it not nearly so nourishing as good bright 

 straw, while it will assuredly disagree with the stomachs of his horses, and 

 then not only do no good to them, but prove positively injurious. 



The quantity of hay which is required, if given alone, will average about 

 1 1 cwt. per week for a horse of middle size and good constitution. This, 

 however, is but an approximation to the truth ; for in half-a-dozen horses 

 there will be scarcely two which will require the same quantity of food to 

 keep them in health. Hay alone is insufficient for horses called upon for 

 fast woi'k. Some low-bred animals are like donkeys in their constitutions, 

 and will thrive upon hay alone ; but these are exceptions to the rule, and 

 they are only to be met with among horses which have been brought up 

 on this poor diet. I have known one stable in which the carriage-horses 

 were kept on salted hay, without ever tasting corn at home ; but though 

 they looked fat enough, and were certainly full of life, they were unable to 

 do fast work, and indeed they were only used for short distances at any 

 time. If a proper allowance of corn is made, from ten to fourteen pounds 

 of hay per day will be ample, the quantity varying with the constitution 

 of each horse and with his allowance of corn. Sometimes clover hay is cut 

 into chaflf in addition to the meadow hay, which is put in the racks, and 

 then an allowance should be made, as there is more nourishment in the 

 clover than in the ordinary grasses. In well-managed stables, each horse 

 of average size will consume from two tons to two tons and a half of hay 

 in the course of the year, and this will cost on the average from £8 to £13. 



Horse corn consists of oats and beans, to which may be added peas 

 and maize, the last kind of food having been introduced from America. 

 Barley and wheat have occasionally been tried, especially the former 

 when malted ; but they have not been found to possess any advantage, 

 and, on the contrary, they have generally disagreed with the stomach 

 to a very appreciable extent. Wheat bran is in very general use, and 

 also linseed. 



Oats contain a large amount of nutriment as compared with hay, but as 

 it is the mealy kernel that is the valuable part, while the husk is less 

 digestible, it is most important to secure oats which have thin skins. As 

 a general rule, the lighter they are the greater is the proportion of husk to 

 kernel, and therefore the weight is the first thing to be considered. English 

 oats are thin skinned, but seldom weigh more than 42 lbs. to the bushel. 

 Russian oats are thinner skinned than any except Scotch and English winter 

 oats, but there is a new sort of Russian, weighing up to 44 lbs., which is 

 not so good, as it has a thick skin. From 40 to 42 lbs. therefore may be 

 taken as the best weight. Of late years the quantity of light oats has much 

 decreased, as the demand for heavy sorts has become more general, and there- 

 fore the difference in price between light and heavy (which some years ago 

 was so great as to make it economical to give light oats to horses which had 

 not very hard work to do) has become less, and it is now most economical to 

 give the best heavy thin-skinned oats to hacks and carriage horses, as well as 

 to hunters, racers, omnibus and cab horses, which latter are worked to the 

 utmost extent of which their powers are capable. It is found by experience 

 that horses will consume only a certain bulk of oats j and as the quantity of 



