THEIR FEED AND THEIR FEET 13 



the temperature of the stable at a high point. Un- 

 questionably horses would eat more, would fieed more 

 food, if the stable were kept supplied with fresh 

 air, if, in consequence, the temperature should aver- 

 age several degrees colder ; but he is a mean man 

 who would cheat his horses out of the " breath of 

 life " for the sake of a little saving in hay and grain. 

 Living themselves in air-tight apartments, and, often 

 enough, innocent of all knowledge of the necessity 

 for a constant changing of the air in their own homes, 

 stable-keepers are, of course, guiltless of all blame in 

 the matter referred to. They know that the warmer 

 the animals are kept, by means of close stables and 

 blankets, the less food they require, and, unaware of 

 the pernicious influence exerted upon the general 

 health of the animals, this settles the question. With 

 good ventilation, however much the temperature of 

 the air might be lowered, the horses would more than 

 compensate for the extra feed, in improved digestion, 

 vigor, and general health. 



MISTAKEN KINDNESS. 



I find that a great deal of the care exercised in the 

 regimen of horses by all classes of people is — like the 

 unwise petting and coddling of children — a source of 

 mischief, and often constitutes positive cruelty. 



Some of the kindest and most tender-hearted per- 

 sons in the world spend time and money, and exercise 

 their minds, in various ways, with the intention of 

 doing for their horses the best that can be done ; yet, 

 in their misconceived efforts, doing, in some particu- 



