DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS 353 



Yet exercise is beneficial to both mother and offspring, and 

 in the absence of moderate work the breeding mare should 

 be kept in a lot where she can take exercise at will. 



The food should be liberal but not fattening, oats, bran, 

 sound hay, and other foods rich in the principles which form 

 flesh and bone being especially indicated. All aliments that 

 tend to indigestion are to be especially avoided. Thus rank, 

 aqueous, rapidly-grown grass and other green food, partially 

 ripe rye grass, millet, Hungarian grass, vetches, peas, beans, 

 or maize are objectionable, as is over-ripe, fibrous, innutri- 

 tious hay, or that which has been injured and rendered 

 musty by wet, or that which is infested with smut or ergot. 

 Food that tends to costiveness should be avoided. Water 

 given often, and at a temperature considerably above freez- 

 ing, will avoid the dangers of indigestions and abortions 

 which resuJt from taking too much ice-cold water at one 

 time. Very cold or frozen food is objectionable in the same 

 sense. Severe surgical operations and medicines that act 

 violently on the womb, bowels or kidneys are to be avoided 

 as being liable to cause abortion. Constipation should be 

 corrected if possible by bran mashes, carrots or beets, sec- 

 onded by exercise, and if a medicinal laxative is required it 

 should be olive oil or other equally bland agent. 



The stall of the pregnant mare should not be too narrow 

 so as to cramp her when lying down or to entail violent 

 efforts in getting up, and it should not slope too. much from 

 the front backward as this throws the weight of the uterus 

 back on the pel vis and endangers protrusions and even abor- 

 tion. Violent mental impressions are to be avoided, for 

 though the majority of mares are not affected thereby, yet a 

 certain number are so profoundly impressed that peculiari- 

 ties and distortions are entailed on the offspring. Hence 

 there is wisdom shown in banishing parti-colored or object- 

 ionably tinted animals and those that show deformities or 

 faulty conformation. Hence, too, the importance of prevent- 

 ing prolonged acute suffering by the pregnant mare, as cer- 

 tain troubles of the eyes, feet, and joints in the foals have 

 been clearly traced to the concentration oJ the mother's mind 

 on corresponding injured organs in herself. Sire and dam 



