60 THE ECONOMICS OF FEEDING HORSES 



give any oats, or bran, or other more costly foods? 

 Why not feed maize alone as the corn of the ration ? Or, 

 to carry the question to its logical conclusion, Why not 

 omit the costly hay of the ration and feed maize alone ?" 

 The answer is that maize alone would be quite unsuitable. 

 It has already been stated that maize is wanting in 

 fibre, and causes serious intestinal obstruction, unless 

 some hard hay or straw-fibre is fed with it. Even as the 

 only grain part of the ration, it is less suitable than a 

 mixture of grains, for, given alone, it tends to produce 

 a somewhat flabby condition of the muscles, occasionally 

 a tendency to skin rashes (humour) or "grease," and 

 there is noticed a want of alertness and freshness in 

 horses so fed as compared with those fed on oats. On 

 the other hand, the theories advocated so strenuously 

 by some people that only oats can give that virility and 

 vitality so desirable in working horses, have been shown 

 by experience to be much exaggerated. The practical 

 result of experience is that maize can be usefully fed 

 along with other grains to horses for almost any kind of 

 work, with great economical advantages, but that 10 to 

 12 lbs. a day must be considered the maximum for the 

 best results. 



For thoroughbreds in training, and for hunters and 

 polo ponies, it is still true that oats alone, or oats with 

 a few old beans, provide the best corn ration. 



Beans and peas are of great value on account of their 

 high percentage of digestible protein, and may be used 

 in small amounts — up to 3 lbs. per day — to improve the 

 nitrogenous ratio of an otherwise poor ration. Exces- 

 sive amounts of peas or beans are inadvisable (see p. 64), 

 and are generally believed to cause gummy legs, a pre- 

 disposition to lymphangitis, and skin rashes (humour). 



