70 ON THE CECONOMY OF THE STABLE. 



has more tlian once fpoiled the (liape of a leg 

 of mutton, or demolidied a (lieep's pluck. 



The natural food of the Horfe is the firaple 

 herbage of the field, grafs, and on that alone 

 he can be conflantly kept in the higheft ftate 

 of health and vigour, fo long as he fliall not be 

 required to labour ; and whilfl he is employed 

 in labour, grafs in fome form, either dried or 

 green, feems abfolutely neceffary to his mainte- 

 nance in a heahhy ftate. Hay, ftraw, and corn 

 of the various kinds, have been from the earliefh 

 times the common food of Horfes ; but in Eng- 

 land, and indeed France and Germany, during 

 latter periods efpecially, they have rejefted all 

 other fpecies of horfe-corn, from a well-ground- 

 ed preference in favour of oats and beans, the 

 latter for draught-horfes chiefly, or as fubftan- 

 tial auxiliaries to the oats ; oats imparting as 

 ftrong a nourifhment as the conftitution of 

 the Horfe will properly bear, are at the fame 

 time of an abfterfive and cleanfing nature, 

 and are, moreover, in my opinion, the beft 

 and cheapefl in-door fattening for almoft all 

 animals. 



The fpecies of corn ufually given to Horfes 

 in many countries is barley, and the bulky pro- 

 vender ftraw ; both which, in warm climes, are 

 faid to be nearly equal in nutriment to our hay 

 and oats. With us, barley is apt to fcour 



4 Horfes 



