IV] 



FEEDING, EXERCISE AND TRANSPORT 



43 



canter should not exceed eight to nine miles an 

 hour ; cantering is the natural gait of the horse. 

 On hard roads, however, cantering throws more 

 work upon the horse's legs than slow trotting. 



The following trip of thirty-two miles I made 

 on hard roads with a 16.2 hands thoroughbred 

 horse in good condition in the summer, when 

 there was no mud to soften the surface, and 

 where there was little grass on the sides of the 

 roads to canter upon. My horse had been having 

 eight to ten miles' exercise a day at a steady walk 

 and trot, and fed on ten pounds of oats and 

 twelve pounds of hay a day. My trip away from 

 home for sixteen miles was as follows. I started 

 after lunch. 



1.25 to 1.30 walk, 



1.30 to 1.40 trot, 



1.40 to 1.45 walk, 



1.45 to 2.0 trot, finish with a mile canter on 

 side of road. 



2.0 to 2.7 walk, 



2.7 to 2.18 trot, 



2.18 to 2.23 halt, dismounted, fed grass on 

 side of road, walked 

 horse, dismounted, for 

 two minutes. 



2.25 to 2.35 trot, 



2.35 to 2.40 walk, 



2.40 to 2.55 trot (walked down two hills ; 

 dismounted on one of 

 these, the other was 

 slight). 



2.55 to 3.0 walk, 



3.0 to 3.15 trot (mostly), 



3.15 to 3.20 walk, 



3.20 to 3.25 trot, 



3.25 to 3.30 walk. 



Arrived at destination, watered, and fed hay. 

 After half an hour fed grain, one gallon of oats 

 with two handfuls of chaff well mixed together. 

 Started home again 5.30. Arrived home 8.0 ; 

 slower pace than that of going. Horse in first- 

 class condition. Next day in like condition, he 

 was walked for one hour. Legs were kept 

 bandaged all the morning. The rate going away 

 from home was about eight miles an hour, 

 which is too fast for an average horse if kept 

 up. Coming home it was six and a half miles 

 an hour. 



172. Lending Horses. — Lending horses is all 

 very well in the case of an owner who takes 

 little interest in his horses and who does not care 

 how much they are spoilt ; but it is risky unless 

 one is absolutely sure that the horse is being 

 lent to a very competent person who will treat 

 the animal as carefully as the owner would. 

 People should know better than to ask their 

 friends for the loan of a horse. It is quite 

 another thing to be offered a horse on loan. 

 Shakespeare tells us that " Loan oft loses both 

 itself and friend ; and borrowing dulls the edge 

 of husbandry." 



It is not selfish to refuse to lend a horse ; on 

 the contrary it shows knowledge of horseman- 

 ship and consideration for the horse. The wise 

 horseman would rather hire a horse for his 

 friend than lend one of his own, unless he knew 

 the capabilities of his friend were as good as his 

 own. One ride by a bad rider may cause harm 

 to a horse that will require weeks to undo. 



173. Care of Horses on the March. — Under 

 this heading I include military riding and 

 draught horses on manoeuvres or on a campaign, 

 hacks, hunters or carriage horses in civil life, 

 commercial draught horses, farm horses, and 

 every type of horse at work. 



There are a lot of men handling horses who 

 should never be allowed to touch them. The 

 Buffalo Horse World says : " They yell at their 

 horses, strike them, swear at them, and other- 

 wise abuse them. Gentleness, kindness and 

 quietness are prime requisites in a teamster if 

 he would get most work out of his horses." 



Before a horse is asked to make a long march 

 he must be in condition. Cavalry horses on the 

 march walk at the rate of three and a half miles 

 an hour and trot at seven miles an hour, in- 

 cluding short halts. The rate of a march, with 

 combined walk and trot, is five miles an hour. 



The ordinary walk for a horse is three and a 

 half to four miles an hour ; trot, eight miles ; 

 canter, nine miles ; gallop, twelve to fifteen, and 

 up to thirty or over on the turf. A distance of 

 twenty to twenty-five miles per day is a good 

 march for horses day after day, and for this they 

 must be in good condition. Horses must be 

 allowed to go their own rate, and not be con- 

 tinually checked by slower-moving bodies in 

 front. Uniformity of pace, and not a jerky pace, 

 is most essential to prevent tiring of horses. 



A pace which is neither too fast nor too slow 

 is essential. Lolling about in the saddle is 

 strictly forbidden, and a sure sign of bad riding 

 and horsemanship. A tired horse, if led for a 

 day or part of a day, will recuperate wonder- 

 fully. 



Before a march or a long ride is taken, special 

 care must be given to ascertain that all saddlery, 

 harness and bridles fit properly, and that horses 

 have no galls or other ailments ; also that they 

 are not in any way off their feed. Their shoes 

 must be particularly looked at. An ordinary 

 horse on macadam roads will go 200 to 300 miles 

 on a pair of shoes, but some draught horses will 

 wear out their hind shoes in 150 miles. 



Riding horses must be allowed to move on 

 the side of the road whenever possible. Riders 

 and drivers (when on horses) must get off and 

 walk down all hills and up steep hills. They 

 should also walk for a quarter of an hour in 

 every hour, if a long march is being taken, to 

 rest both man and horse. Soft ground should 

 never be overlooked. Halts must be made fre- 

 quently ; a halt every half-hour for five or ten 



