82 THE HORSE : ITS TAMING, 



food quite kindly. As a rule, it is as well to let the 

 mares wean their own foals; but unless this is done 

 before seven months are out, in these cases the mare 

 should be kept in the house for a few days, and after- 

 wards in a field at a distance from the foal ; or when the 

 foal is about to be taken away and weaned, the mare 

 should be kept on dry hay for a few days. A little light 

 work will also assist in drying up her flow of milk. If 

 possible, foals should be handled from the day they are 

 born, and for this purpose a small halter should be put 

 upon them to enable them to be held and walked 

 about. In cold climates, throughout their first winter, 

 it is advisable to stable foals at night (or at all events 

 to have a large shed handy for the foals to run in and 

 out of, but not necessarily a draughty one), giving 

 them the same food as that for mares. 



Service of, and trying Mares after service. — Breed a 

 mare on the ninth day after foaling if she is all right 

 and in good health, but in a few cases mares will not 

 come in heat at that time. When this is the case, or 

 if, from being out of condition, or any other cause, and 

 it is thought best to wait, postpone it till the twenty- 

 eighth day after foaling. After a mare has been served 

 by the horse, let her go from nineteen to twenty-one 

 days before trying her again, depending on the period 

 of heat at which she had been bred. After that try 

 her twice a week until you are sure she is with foal. 

 Never give a mare but one service at a time unless 



