252 TRAINING THE TROTTING HORSE. 



I have already spoken of feeding youngsters, and 

 have expressed the behef that they cannot be too 

 hberally fed in their first two years of fife, especially 

 if being worked. I have had very satisfactory results- 

 with colts by feeding ground oats and steamed ground 

 oats and barley. But both with colts and horses good 

 grass and hay is essential to perfect health. 



I have said to give the colts all they can eat up 

 clean, but it is not so easy to fix the quantity with 

 horses. Horses differ in the amount of food they do- 

 best with, just as they differ in the amount of work 

 the}^ require. No absolute rule can be laid down. One- 

 horse may keep right almost on hay alone, while an- 

 other will require ten or twelve quarts of oats a day in 

 addition to keep him right. The only rule I can formu- 

 late is to give the horse in training all that is necessary 

 to keep him stout and strong. A horse, to be in proper 

 track condition, will carry a certain fair amount of 

 flesh, and if you reduce him below that he will become 

 weakened. 



I am aware that some horsemen do not believe in 

 feeding cracked or ground food, but my experience- 

 convinces me that a limited proportion of it is bene- 

 ficial in all cases and quite essential in some. Horses- 

 that are inclined to bolt their oats and horses in whose- 

 dung is observed whole grains will, for obvious reasons, 

 get more nourishment from broken than from Avhole 

 grain. Unmasticated food can afford little nourish- 

 ment, and when a horse will bolt his oats witliout 

 masticating it he shoidd be given it in the broken 

 form. 



A word as to bran. I once gave it up altogether^ 



