70 FOOD TO FIT WORK. 



jDarts of Wiltshire on Wednesday evening, and getting into 

 London market early on Saturday • morning. They returned in 

 an almost equally short time, each horse drawing a ton besides 

 the cart or waggon both ways, although they got little more 

 than time enough to eat their food on the way. AVe know one 

 entire horse that did this seventeen weeks following. 



Only picked horses can stand such work, and they lose 

 flesh on it, so that it is very difficult to keep their shoulders 

 from galling. There is, no doubt that cart horses are lietter fed 

 on their journeys than light horses generally arc ; both because 

 they are not expected to eat corn without chaff, and because 

 they are. fed and watered by their drivers, instead of being left to 

 the tender mercies of an unknown ostler 



138. — The cart horse does not often get left long without 

 exercise, except in bad weather. When highly fed, his legs are 

 more liable to suffer for want of exercise than those of the light horse. 

 We have pointed out (83) that the corn should be promptly reduced, 

 and roots substituted whenever the prospect of bad weather is 

 likely to confine the horse much to the stable. Plenty of roots 

 and bran mashes will keep down inflammation, but exercise must 

 be found for the horses even when the ground is covered with 

 snow. Where chaff cutting and corn crushing are done by horse 

 power at home, they will give some exercise, and timber, manure, 

 or stones may be drawn on a sledge. No horse need work all day, 

 but every horse should get a little exercise, and failing any work, 

 where riding and leading is not practicable, give them a chance to 

 play in a field or large yard. When cloths can be fastened on 

 them they may be advantageously turned out, even on the snow, 

 for a short time. In fact, anything is better than letting them 

 stand for days together tied up in their stalls. 



139. — No horse, not even the slowest cart horse, should be 

 expected to start a heavy load after he has been long standing 

 idle, more especially if the weather is cold. Inattention to this 

 makes hundreds of good horses jibs. 



The horse that from any cause has been long out of the collar 

 should be started very carefully, and with something that he can 

 move very easily ; but double care will be necessary when the 



