34 THE HORSE 



be obtained at any price. In all the best-appointed 

 stables straw bedding is employed, as it looks the best, 

 makes the best bed, and subsequently turns into excellent 

 manure, but it is not supposed to have the manurial value 

 of moss litter. If moss litter is used it should be well 

 broken up, frequently raked over, and the saturated por- 

 tions of it removed from the stall with the shovel. It is 

 a very good absorbent and hasr slight antiseptic proper- 

 ties, but it gets into the coat and makes both horse and 

 stable untidy. Sawdust is a powerful absorbent, but 

 much too dry for horses' feet. Bracken makes a very 

 good bedding, provided that the animals do not put their 

 beds inside them through the consumption of the bracken. 

 It is an extremely bad plan to allow horses to lie on bare 

 or hard flooring, as they do considerable damage to the 

 fetlocks, the knees, and to the points of the hocks by 

 continual bruising of these particular parts. Moreover, 

 they get extremely dirty and are difficult to clean. A 

 good bed after a hard day's work, a good strapping, and a 

 liberal feed may be said to constitute the three ideal 

 factors in the daily life of a horse. 



