46 THE HORSE. 



day, and do a L!:ood deal of grazing, they require only a very 

 small quantity of Lay, but they must, of course, receive a 

 sufficient ration of corn. 



Working: Horses or. a Full Stomach Horses 



should not be required to do fast work on a full stomach; 

 at least three-quarters of an hour should be allowed to elapse 

 after the animal has eaten a meal, before letting it do work at 

 a trot. Similarly, it is bad to trot a horse for any distance 

 immediately after it has drunk a large (juantity of water, 

 as this will most probably cause scouring. 



Watering: Horses While Warm — It does no harm 

 to let a horse drink a small amount of water just before or 

 during fast work, nor doe^ it hurt a hoise to drink cold water 

 when, in a heated state; on tlie contrary, it greatly benefits 

 and refreshes the animal to drink a draught of water when 

 hot and tired. 



Continuous Fast Work is very wearing to the legs 

 of horses, and a conjplete rest from time to time, given by 

 turning the animal out to grass, is of much benefit, and is 

 greatly to be recommended, as it serves to prolong the use^ 

 fulness of the horse. Hom- often a rest should be ijiven de- 

 pends upon circumstances. If a horse im worked very hard, 

 and its legs suffer a great deal of weir in consequence, a 

 rest of about four weeks once a year is advisable. Lightly 

 worked horsesi will not require a rest more often than once 

 in every two years, while cobs and ponies which are turned 

 out daily when in work, do not really re<]uire a complete 

 rest at all. Though the period of four weeksi has been named, 

 tliat does not mean to say that a longer rest is inmecessary ; 

 an the contrary, the longer the rest, the better for a horse. 

 When turning out a horse, in order to give it a rest, a low- 

 lying, spongy pasture should be selected, if possible, as no- 

 thing benefits worn legs more than when the animal is turned 

 out on soft soil. 



Grooming: Nag:-Horses. — Nag-horses require to I^e 



