252 Horse Industry in New York State 



(b) Ice-cold water and apples, potatoes, roots or ensilage that 

 are frozen, may suddenly chill the stomach and intestines, and 

 canse a suppression of the juices, 



(c) Extreme fatigiie or exhaustion, especially after a very 

 hard day's work, reduces the power of the digestive organs. There- 

 fore a very tired horse should never he fed his grain at night until 

 he is partially rested. Let him eat hay for a couple of hours, and, 

 instead of making him a present of an extra quart or two of oats 

 for his hard day's work, give a little less than the usual amount. 



(d) Fast driving and very heavy hauling immediately follow- 

 ing a meal often impedes digestion. 



(e) Ravenous eaters that bolt their food render the food in 

 about the same condition as a horse with imperfect teeth. 



(f) Irregular feeding hours. A horse can tell almost to the 

 minute when feeding time arrives. If feeding is deferred for an 

 hour or two hours he becomes uneasy and often paws and neighs 

 for his food, thereby causing a general disturbance of the entire 

 body. 



(g) Sudden changes in food. We always have more cases of 

 colic at haying and threshing time, when farmers are changing 

 from the old to the new hay and from the old to the new oats. 

 We should always make changes in the ration gradually by mix- 

 ing a small amount of the now oats and hay with the old. If 

 obliged to make a sudden change in the ration better give a 

 smaller amount and add a pinch of salt. The salt greatly aids in 

 checking fermentation and, at the same time, slightly increases 

 the secretions. 



Under the second heading we may include foods that are hard 

 to digest, or that do. not seem to be especially adapted for the 

 horse when fed in large (quantities, such as rye, barley, buckwheat 

 and beans. Over-ripe, coarse fodders and musty, moldy or par- 

 tially spoiled fodders of any description are especially dangerous 

 for horses. Musty or moldy ensilage is very dangerous. 



Green foods, as clover and alfalfa, and foods recently harvested, 

 such as new oats, corn and hay, are covered with bacterial growth 

 that causes a rapid fermentation. If taken in large quantities 

 when a horse is not accustomed to them they prove a very fre- 

 quent cause of colic. Wet ground feed that has been left from 

 a preceding meal, if allowed to remain in the feed box, soon 



