-15S HORSE*. 



HORSES. 



The marks of a good horse are, a high neck, full 

 breast, a lively eye, a strong back, stiff dock, full but- 

 tocks, ribs reaching near to the hips, good hoofs, and a 

 good gait. The size should be in proportion to the 

 work in which he is chiefly to be employed. 



Mares should not breed till after they are four years 

 old. They should be free from distempers, and possess 

 those qualities desirable in a horse. When with foal 

 they should be housed pretty early in the fail, and be 

 well kept till foahng, wiiich should be about the last of 

 May. (They go with young about eleven months.) 

 They should not be ridden swiftly, nor put to drawing 

 or carrying burdens, ibr one or two months before that 

 time. 



Colts should be weaned the beginning of foddering 

 time ; and then they ought to be put in a stable by 

 themselves, kept on good hay, and fed regularly twice a 

 day during winter, with oats, or some other nourishing 

 food. The next summer they ought to have good pas- 

 ture. If colts, as well as other young animals, are not 

 well kept the first winter, they are very apt to get 

 stunted ; and of this they never wholly recover. 



In breaking a horse gentle means are best. First let 

 a young horse be tamed by leading with a bridle; then 

 saddle him, and lead him about smartly so as to make 

 him trot; then fasten a small weight on the saddle, add- 

 ing more and more till he carry the full weight of a man. 

 If he be very fractious, lead him with another horse. 

 After he has been broke to leading well, and carrying 

 burdens, let him be gently mounted, while some person 

 hold him, and rode about in a ploughed field, with anoth- 

 er horse before him, if necessary, until he learns to go 

 by himself In teaching a young horse to draw, the 

 same gentleness should be used ; first putting him with 

 a gentle horse that i« true to draw ; then loading him 

 lightly, and gradually heavier, till he has learned, like 

 his fellow, to exert his utmost strength. 



The best method of keeping working horses in the 

 summer is to soil them. They should have a yard ad- 

 joining the stable, in which they may run at large at 

 times. This practice is a great saving of pasture land ; 

 the horses will keep much better, and they are always at 



