THE CARE OF MARE AND FOAL 63 



foal can be artificially fed on cow's milk or some other 

 substitute. A well-nourished foal should almost be seen 

 growing and its strength increasing from hour to hour. 

 The mare should be liberally fed, certainly not less than 

 four times per day, on corn, linseed cake, scalded bran 

 and oats, hay, and green food when obtainable, A strong 

 foal is a great drain upon the economy of the mare, 

 consequently the more generously she is fed the better 

 the growth of the foal. During fine weather it is an 

 excellent plan to turn both the mare and the foal out at 

 pasture, but grass alone is insufficient for the mare during 

 the first three months after the foal is bom. Sometimes 

 mares " pick their foals," i.e. the foal is bom prematurely, 

 say any time after six months. If before this period it 

 constitutes abortion, and there is an infectious form of 

 abortion liable to affect mares in a simihar manner to 

 that trouble amongst dairy cattle. In either case a mare 

 may or may not part with the " cleansing," but this is a 

 matter demanding urgent professional skill, and this fact 

 should never be overlooked, otherwise the owner may 

 have cause to regret it. 



As already stated, when the weather is suitable both 

 mare and foal should be allowed out in the paddock. A 

 mare will, during June, July, and August, get three parts 

 of her own living at pasture, and she ought to give a 

 superabundance of good milk for nourishing the foal 

 during the months named. There are plenty of owners 

 who give their mares no corn at all when they are out 

 grazing, but it will be found much more satisfactory for 

 both mare and foal, and to the proprietor, to allow the 

 mare 8 lb. of oats per day and i lb. of beans in addition. 

 As soon as the foal is two or three months old it will 

 begin to nibble at the grass, and by September-October 

 the foal should be allowed a small quantity of crushed 

 oats every day. A foal should be weaned when it is six 

 months old, after which period the milk supply usually 

 decreases, and if the foal continues sucking it has a strong 



