204 BOARD OF xVGRICULTURE. 



the hoof thus protected dries less rapidly and is rendered less 

 brittle. 



Finally, tlie fcood groom will see to it that his horse is so fed 

 and exercised as to be in the best possible condition for his 

 work. Neither horses nor men can be preserved in perfect 

 health, without sunshine, fresh air, and exercise, and many fine 

 animals are ruined by irregular work upon highly stimulating 

 food. Whenever a horse is not employed in his usual daily 

 task, he should be exercised at a slow pace by his groom, or at 

 least be allowed to run for an hour or two in a clean, roomy 

 yard. By standing day after day in his stable, the horse 

 accumulates fat, liis blood becomes heated and impure, and his 

 tendons and muscles soft and unfit for violent exertion. At the 

 same time, he becomes restive for want of exercise, and with 

 his belly full of food is exceedingly liable to injure himself 

 whenever he is taken out, even though he have a driver suffi- 

 ciently careful to restrain him, which is not often the case. 



In tliis country, it is customary to feed horses three times 

 during the day, and in most cases it is better to give a feed of 

 grain or roots at noon than to omit it. The stomacli of the 

 horse is small, and in a natural state he eats the greater part 

 of the time, laying down but seldom except a few hours at night, 

 and requiring but little sleep. In domestication, however, he 

 receives more concentrated food and needs less time for eating; 

 and he exercis es more and consequently demands more repose. 

 Horses which perform irregular, light work, like those employed 

 by physicians may be kept in excellent condition if properly fed 

 morning and evening ; but those which engage in constant 

 severe lal)or for several hours after the food lias passed from the 

 stomach, are very apt to eat too greedily when fed, and to have 

 attacks of colic and other disorders of the digestive system. 



The amount and kind of food given to a horse should corres- 

 pond somewhat to the work required of him, and yet he must 

 eat though he do nothing. Coarse, hardy horses may live, and 

 work after a sort, upon hay and grass, but high-bred animals 

 will scarcely subsist upon such bulky innutritions food, and of 

 course should never be expected to do any thing more. It is 

 now generally conceded that valuable horses ought to receive 

 some grain or roots every day, whether at work or not, as it is 

 well known that it rc({uires careful training for several months, 



