4t THE HORSE. 



CHAPTER IX. 



CARE OF NAGS, COBS, AND PONIES. 



The feeding and general management of nag-horses, cobs, and 

 ponies lias been treated of, to a large extent in the preceding 

 cliapters, but there are various points in regard to the man- 

 agement of these classes of horses which require separate dis- 

 cussion. As nags, cobs, and ponies are required to do a great 

 deal of trotting in the course of their work, it is necessaiy that 

 great car© should be bestowed on keeping them in fit condi- 

 tion for fast work. 



Feeding: Nagrs and Cobs — They must receive an 

 ample allowance of corn, while the feeding of an excess of 

 bulky foods, such as hay, and chop, and green forage, must 

 be avoided. If a horse consumes very large quantities of 

 the foodstuffs named, the belly becomes distended to such 

 an extent that the animal'si w^ind is adversely affected, and, 

 in that ca.se, it will not bo' fit for continued fast work, on 

 account of shortness of wind. There is, as a rule, no risk of 

 a liorse or pony consuming more hay than it ought to, in 

 order to keep fit for fast work, if a prober allowance of corn 

 is fed. There are, however, some gross and greedy feeders 

 which will gorge themselves with hay to an injurious extent, if 

 they have the opportunity of doing so. In their case, care 

 must be taken to limit the allowance of hay very strictly to 

 a reasonable limit. Nags, cobs, and ponies should not be 

 given as large an allowance of chop as is given to team- 

 horses. The allowance of green forage fed to them must be 

 restricted to a small quantity, but it is very advisable to give 

 •some jrreen food everv dav when it is available. It Avill also 



