TURNING HORSES OUT TO GRASS 101 



constant work is clipped, and when work is done 

 he is provided with a good warm waterproof rug. 

 At the end of the day the horse is thoroughly well 

 groomed and fed, and the rug placed on him. He 

 is then turned out loose into a paddock, or even a 

 yard, with a constant supply of fresh water, where 

 he can roll, stand, rest, or otherwise amuse himself 

 as the fancy takes him. If he has a day in, food 

 is supplied in a box firmly fixed. There is no lung 

 disease, no broken wind, no farcy, no injured eye- 

 sight, no cataract. Consequently shyers are a rarity ; 

 the legs never swell as the stabled horse's legs will do. 

 When called upon for his duty, the colonial horse 

 can do such journeys as would require two or even 

 three relays of our sadly mismanaged, but expensive, 

 horses. Why ? Because they are treated in a 

 sensible and natural way. This treatment can be 

 modified to suit our climate, and in line weather 

 it should be fully taken advantage of ; to give horses 

 a run out, if only in a yard, at the same time having 

 their full, or even an increased allowance, of oats ; and 

 for wearv animals the best rest is no work and more 



J 



feed. A horse thus treated during his rest will be in 

 plenty of condition to start light work at any time, 

 and it is worth all the trouble involved. 



A willing and hardworked animal, as the majority 

 of our horses are, richly deserves a rest once a year, 

 and a proper and pleasant rest too. How is it to be 

 carried out ? Like this. Never turn a horse out to 

 grass straight off full corn feed and from a warm 

 stable. Put him in a loose box, and gradually knock 

 off his corn, leave off his rug, and after a few days 

 leave the loose box door open all the morning, then 

 all day, and finally all night too, feeding him on chaff, 

 bran, and hay. When he is fit to go out, have the 

 shoes taken off and tips put on the front feet only. 

 If the horse has been clipped or the weather is very 



