CHAPTER X. 



HOW TO FEED A HORSE. 



CO^'SEQlJE^TCES OF IMPROPER FEEDING— DIFFERENT FOOD FOR IIFFERENT 

 CONDITIONS— FOOD FOR THE BROOD-MARE— FOR THE FOAL— FOR "^VORKING 

 HORSES — GREEN FOOD — CARROTS— CORN— FEEDING HORSES IN TRAINING- 

 WHILE TRAVELLING— SUMMERING HORSES: THE BEST ilETHOD- MANAGE- 

 MENT OF OMNIBUS HORSES IN NEW YORK. 



To those who are really acquainted with the horse and ac- 

 customed to his use, it is well known that, at the least, one-half 

 of his availability for work, of his fitness for its perform- 

 ance, of his endurance through a period of years, his health, 

 his beauty and his value, depends on the quality and 

 quantity of his food and the manner of his feeding. At 

 least one-half of the diseases to ^vhich he is liable are di- 

 rectly ascribable to bad food, or good food badly adminis- 

 tered ; to insufiicient food or to over-feeding ; to want of 

 judgment in feeding when no food should be given, or in 

 giving what Avould be the best at one time, at another 

 time when it is the worst. Bad stabling, bad grooming 

 and bad clothing are nearly as bad in their results ; but it 

 may be safely said that the bane of most horses and the 

 shame of most stables, is bad feeding;' and that, too, when 

 no expense is spared by the owner in providing for the 

 best and where nothing is wanting but a clear understand- 

 ing of what ought to be done and what left undone, in the 

 way of feeding, joined to a system by which the groom, 

 or whosoever has the duty of attending the animal to per- 

 form, shall be compelled or induced implicitly to obey 

 orders, if he break owners. 



The system of feeding horses is diverse and complex ; 

 it cannot be presented once for all, or laid down on a set 

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