48 HORSE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA. 



assume that, when be turns from the former to the latter, 

 he does so from the natural prompting of an instinct, 

 which is intended by nature to guide him in the selec- 

 tion of the food most suitable for the requirements of 

 his system. We need hardly dwell on the not uncom- 

 mon folly of stinting a horse of his hay, when the 

 object is to get him to eat as much corn as possible, 

 in order to enable him to sustain violent and continued 

 exertion, such as that demanded during the training 

 of race-horses, &c. I have always found that such 

 animals eat more corn and digest it better when their 

 supply of hay is unlimited at all times, than when it 

 is curtailed, and especially so when they are deprived 

 of it during feeding hours. The idea, that a trainer, 

 or owner, can tell to a pound, how much hay his hard- 

 worked horse should eat, is too palpably absurd. The 

 case of corn is very different, for a horse, unless his 

 powers are fully taxed, is almost always prone to eat 

 too much of it, while its bad effects are patent to 

 the most careless observer. Colonel Sir F. Fitzwygram 

 justly remarks that, " practically it will be found 

 that horses, which are not limited as regards oats, 

 will not usually consume above 6 Ibs. of hay per 

 diem." Surely no one could say that this was an in- 

 ordinate amount ? As regards training, I have often 

 been met with the objection that horses would gorge 

 themselves, and would even eat their bedding, unless 

 muzzled ; but I have never found this to occur, when a 

 full supply of oats has been given, although I have had 

 several horses in training that came to me with the 

 character of being insatiable gluttons, 



