242 THE COMPLETE FARMER 



ness, there will be no more occasion for leading him. He 

 will go well of himself; and be thoroughly broken, without 

 so much as giving him one blow, and without danger or 

 fatigue to the horse or his rider. And, what is much to be 

 regarded, the horse's spirits will be preserved, though he be 

 sufficiently tamed. In teaching a horse to draw, gentleness 

 must be used. He should be tried first in company with 

 other horses, whether in carting or ploughing ; and the 

 draught should not be so heavy as to fret him or put him to 

 great exertion till he has learned to draw steadily. Aft?r 

 this he may be put to draw light loads by himself. Lastly 

 he may be put to a pleasure carriage, but coupled with 

 another rather than alone, and to a sleigh rather than a 

 chaise. 



It- may be taken for a general rule, that the gait which is 

 easiest to a horse will be the easiest to his rider; for jaded 

 horses, it has always been observed, are apt to go hard, and 

 to tire their riders. 



The feeding of horses, as I conceive, has not been suffi- 

 ciently attended to in this country ; which is, doubtless, one 

 reason why they are in general so mean and despicable. 

 Too many keep horses who cannot well aftbrd to feed them. 

 They should neither run upon the roads and commons, nor 

 in pastures that are filled with wild and water grasses. They 

 love a dry pasture, not too much shaded, and short grasses 

 of the best' kinds. Clover and white honey-suckle, both 

 green and dry, are excellent food for them. It nourishes 

 them well, and prevents costiveness, which is very hurtful to 

 them. The best of clover hay will keep them as well as 

 most other kinds of hay with oats. 



To fit a horse for a journey he should not be suffered to 

 grow too fat and gross. He should for some time be kept in 

 the stable rather than in the pasture, and fed mostly with 

 hay and provender ; but rather sparingly if he incline to be 

 fat. He should have exercise daily, to harden his flesh and 

 keep him in the habit of travelling. He should be shod some 

 days before he begins a journey, that the shoes may be well set- 

 tled to his feet, and the nails a little rusted at the points, that 

 they may hold the faster. And the pads of the saddle should 

 be well fitted to his back, so as to fill the hollows, and bear 

 equally on every part. And while he is on the journey, he 

 should be stabled every night. It is destructive to expose a 

 horse to the dampness and cold of the night after severe ex- 

 ercise. But it would be best if neither horses nor any of 



