A SUITABLE RATION 55 



and without putting on unnecessary fat ? Is the inci- 

 dence of disease of the digestive tract low ? And along 

 with all these, the business man asks one last question : 

 Is this achieved at the lowest possible cost ? These are 

 all-important questions which must be answered in the 

 afiQrmative before the ration can be considered entirely 

 satisfactory. 



In this chapter are described the effects of varying 

 conditions, such as age, work, climate, etc., upon the 

 suitability of a ration. Next, the peculiar properties of 

 the different foodstuffs are discussed in order to arrive 

 at their suitability for different purposes. Finally, some 

 suitable rations are suggested for different classes of 

 horses used for different purposes. 



In deciding upon a suitable ration for a number of 

 horses many factors must be taken into consideration. 

 Among the chief of these are the age and weight of the 

 horses, the season and climate, and the conditions of 

 work. 



The question of age is of importance only when 

 young, immature horses are being fed, and has little 

 interest in a discussion of the methods of feeding work- 

 ing horses. 



The average weight must be taken into account, for 

 with increasing weight more food is required (see p. 48). 



The conditions of work are, however, usually the 

 factors which really determine the ration, for the amount 

 and kind of food must be proportional to the expenditure 

 of energy. If the exact amount of energy used up at any 

 particular work could be ascertained, then the amount 

 of food necessary to provide for it could be found. This, 

 however, is not practicable, but by common experience 

 of the horse's capacity the amount of work required of 



