8 HORSES 



Forget you are a boy, and remember only 

 that you are the coming man. Young England 

 to-day is the father of England's future. Fresh 

 air and moderate living, with the fair exercise of 

 brain and muscle, will help you to attain a perfect 

 manhood. 



There is very little pleasure in owning horses if 

 the control of the stable is in the hands of the 

 groom, and the knowledge you acquire as a boy 

 will help you in later life to rule your establish- 

 ment. Make your own observations and use 

 common sense. What we call common sense is, 

 in my opinion, the most valuable gift that a horse- 

 owner can have. A slavish adherence to old- 

 fashioned methods is the stumbling-block over 

 which nearly all grooms fall. 



We are told, and I have no reason to doubt the 

 accuracy of the statement, that a horse's stomach 

 is very small in comparison with the size of the 

 animal. Now I think this is a fact which we should 

 always keep before us. The first thing it suggests 

 is that food should be supplied in small quantities 

 and at frequent intervals. If a horse will not eat 

 the amount you wish him to have when given four 

 times a day, let the same quantity be divided into 

 six feeds, but never give him more corn than he 

 will finish. There is an idea that horses doing 

 fast work require very little hay, and it may be 

 necessary to limit the amount given to a very gross 



