THE horse-keeper's GUIDE. 287 



be til le to dress the horse, or to take him to 6xercise.— 

 This method of procedure will vary with the seasons : in 

 summer, it will often be advisable to exercise the horse a 

 little before breakfast, giving him water in the stable, or 

 while out, and his corn at returning ; but in winter, he 

 should be dressed in the morning, and exercised or pre- 

 pared for work in the forenoon : at mid-day he is again 

 fed. During the remainder of the day, the horse should 

 receive another dressingr and be atjain exercised, unless 

 he has to go out upon the road. 



Horses for g-igf or road work are usually fed four times 

 a day ; saddle-horses have three feeds in the course of the 

 same period. — Where (our feeds a day are allowed, they 

 should be given at stated periods, say, the first in the mor- 

 ning, again at noon, the third at or about f )ur o'clock, and 

 the last, or supper, about eight or nine o'clock, when the 

 stable should be closed, and the horse left for the night. — • 

 If but three feeds only be ordered, let them be given at 

 morning, noon, and night. — The daily allowance of corn 

 for a horse, supposing the animal to be of a medium size 

 and capacity, should be from twelve to sixteen pounds per 

 d?y; and for every pound of barley, beans, or other simi- 

 lar food, given to the horse, about the same quantity of oats 

 should be deducted : the whole quantity is to be divided 

 into nearly equal portions, and one part given at each time 

 ''f feeding. Barley usually weighs about fifty pounds to 

 •"he bushel, while oats, unless unusually heavy, rarely ex- 

 '"eed forty pounds. Roots, such as caiTots and potatoes, 

 where they can be steamed and griven warm, form an ex- 

 cellent change in the dietary of the stable. Barley and 

 cut straw is another useful substitute : but in this case, the 

 barley should be steeped in water ten to twelve hours be- 

 fore it is given. A post-master at Southampton is said to 

 have kept his horses upon this kind of food for a long pe- 

 riod ; and it is ascertained that they worked as well or bet- 

 ter upon this, than when they had so much oats. — Two 

 pecks of barley and one bushel of straw were the daily 

 allowance. 



Every horse should be dressed at least once a day, be- 

 sides the cleaning which is given nfter work ; by this means 

 the skin is kept in good order, and the friction exerts a ben- 

 eficial influence upon the pores, C(jnducive alike to health 

 and app'^arance. The operation is siniijle, and is perfor- 



