282 THE HORSE 



once arrived at the maximum of flesh, he will soon 

 tend to become as trusty as at first. Having been fat 

 for some time, the tendency is for him to grow 

 sluggish. 



FOODS 



Roughage and Concentrates. Timothy and wild 

 prairie hays form excellent roughage for feeding road- 

 sters. While the roadster may be fed hay from grasses 

 mixed with clover, and even bright clover alone with- 

 out injury if the quantity is sharply restricted, yet 

 there is always some danger of injuring the wind of 

 the horse by so doing. Timothy and prairie hays are 

 less palatable, and more carbonaceous than hays mixed 

 with clover, which are more relished; and hence the 

 tendency is for the horse to eat too much of the latter 

 unless the feeder limits the ration. Mixed and clover 

 hays are admirably adapted for feeding colts and other 

 young stock. Such hay has a nutritive ratio of about 

 1:5.8 (one to five and eight- tenths. See Appendix 

 III), while timothy hay has a ratio of about 1:16. 

 The chief reasons for not feeding clover hay to driving 

 horses are two: It is always more or less dusty, and 

 it is too proteinaceous, and hence tends to loosen the 

 bowels when the animal is put at hard, fast work. 

 However, if clover hay be mixed with bright straw, 

 and the mass be dampened, a satisfactory roughage 

 ration will be secured for all but fast drivers. 



Oats and corn are the two standard concentrates. 

 The former is best adapted to driving -horses, while 

 the latter mixed, or even unmixed with oats, serves 



