GOOD FOOD ESSEXTIAL. 253 



and substituted boiled oats, with a little oil-meal in it, 

 for horses that did not sweat out freely and scrape 

 well. However, for the past few years I have used 

 considerable bran with good results. Good, clean 

 bran, well-scalded, may be used judiciously to great ad^ 

 vantage w4iere a horse's bowels seem to need a little 

 loosening. 



Quality is the great essential in food. The horse's 

 stomach is small, comparatively speaking, and it fol- 

 lows that he will not thrive on food the nourishment 

 in which is a small percentage in ratio to the bulk. 

 All food, then, should be clean and free from dust and 

 must, as well as being good in itself, of whatever 

 variety. The most nutritive food for horses iu train- 

 ing, as I have said, are oats, hay and grass, and no 

 other is ever necessary or advisable as food. Some- 

 times, how-ever, a little feed of parsnips or carrots will 

 tempt a horse whose appetite is not on edge to eat, 

 and they have a coolmg and* regulating effect on the 

 ■stomach. 



See to it tlien that the hay and oats are sound and 

 healthy, and of the best quality obtainable. You 

 •cannot save a cent by buying inferior food because it 

 is cheap. That is false economy. The oats should be 

 dry and sound, the grains full and ])lump, and be care- 

 fully cleaned before fed. Of hay there are legions of 

 varieties, differing with climate, but every novice knows 

 good, clean, sweet hay when he sees it. 



The importance of good water is as great as of good 

 food, and every one who has had any experience in 

 horse-keeping w^ell knows that a change in water is 

 generally resented by the horse, and, therefore, the 



