34 THE HORSE : ITS KEEP AND MANAGEMENT. 



breathe upon it. When there is a large quantity 

 in the manger it becomes warm and moist with their 

 breath, and the horses very much object to this. I 

 suppose no animal is more particular in this respect than 

 the horse. When they are only given a little at a time 

 it prevents this, and so saves a great deal of waste. I have 

 known good horse keepers give their horses from eight to 

 twelve feeds, or in other words divide their morning 

 meal into eight or twelve portions, giving a little at the 

 time before taking them out at six o'clock in the 

 morning, and the smaller lots they have the better they 

 seem to get on. In some parts of the country they work 

 from six to two, without having a bit of food or water during 

 that time. I consider this a cruel practice, and one 

 that should be avoided by taking a nose bag of food so 

 that they can have a little at intervals as they work. Then 

 when they get home the horsekeeper commences again 

 giving a small feed at a time the whole of the afternoon, 

 usually up to six or seven o'clock, and sometimes it is nine 

 o'clock before they get their last feed. This may seem 

 ridiculous to those people who throw their food in the 

 manger and only give them one large feed before they take 

 them out to work. Notwithstanding this, it is the proper 

 way to feed them where there is a number of horses 

 kept, especially if the nose bag is not used during the day. 

 When farmers give their horses hay it is better to cut it up 

 with the straw into chaff, the horses relish it so much 

 better and seem to clear the chaff up. Whatever food 

 the horses may be fed on, it is best to divide it and give 

 a little at a time, unless it is green stuff that alters the 



