36 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



reaction has set in — i.e., when the animal begins to feel 

 chilly — he is allowed to drink freely of cold water, his 

 system is sure to feel its effects with double intensity, 

 and a condition of the body will be induced decidedly 

 unfavourable to the proper digestion of the feed to follow. 

 The temperature and high degree of functional activity 

 occasioned by the exercise should be utilized to raise the 

 temperature of the requisite amount of water the system 

 requires before reaction has commenced ; the animal is 

 then enabled to take in the necessary fuel for further 

 combustion. These remarks do not apply to an animal 

 that has returned to his stable in a state of great 

 exhaustion or fatigue. In my own stables the above has 

 been the custom for a great number of years. Never 

 once have I been able to attribute to it any ill effects. 

 It must not be forgotten, however, that custom in 

 watering animals should never be quickly changed. 

 Anyone who has accustomed his steed to a different 

 procedure from that mentioned should not suddenly 

 alter it. 



Secondly, we come to the time of its administration. 

 Should horses be watered before, between, or after feed- 

 ing ? This again opens up a question regarding which 

 nothing is clearly settled. In an attempt to determine 

 it, Professor F. Tangl, of the Veterinary College, Buda- 

 pest, offers some interesting experiments and conclusions.^ 

 Without detailing his experiments, which would encroach 

 too far on my space, it will suffice to give this gentle- 

 man's summary. He says : 



' Horses may be watered before, during, or after meals 

 without interfering with the digestion and absorption of 

 the food. All these methods of watering are equally 



1 Journal of Comparative Pathology and Therapeutics, vol. xv., 



p. 21. 



