l68 LIGHT HORSES : BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



necessary article of stable diet, inasmuch as a horse's stomach 

 needs mechanical distension. Some people give no chaff at 

 all with the oats, others give no more than a handful or two, 

 while others, again, give almost all the hay in the form of 

 chaff. When long hay is given there is nearly always a great 

 deal of waste, as horses pull it out of the rack, let it fall on 

 the floor, and trample it under foot ; in my opinion, therefore, 

 it is the better plan to give nearly all the hay in the form of 

 chaff, giving no more than a little long hay the first thing in 

 the morning and the last thing at night. 



The quantity of hay to be given will vary from one to two 

 trusses, that is to say, from 56 to 112 Ibs. One truss, which 

 gives a daily allowance of 8 Ibs., is the very least that can 

 be given to horses of 15 hands and under; for an ordinary 

 park hack about 10 Ibs. may be set down as the day's portion. 

 For weight-carrying hunters and full-sized harness horses two 

 trusses a week will scarcely be too much ; though in some 

 hunting stables it is the custom never to give more than a 

 truss and a-half a week, but to give a few extra oats ; but 

 hunters able to carry very heavy men will want not less than 

 two trusses of hay per week, no matter how many oats they 

 have. 



Some people give a little bran with the food twice a day or 

 oftener, but the utility of the practice may be doubted ; bran 

 in a dry state is an astringent, and therefore not required 

 with the majority of horses. In the form of a mash it is a 

 laxative, and a bran mash should be given at least once a 

 week to counteract the feverish symptoms which are supposed 

 to result from high feeding, but which, it is submitted, need 

 not follow if a proper system of feeding be adopted. To the 

 dietary of hay, oats, beans and bran mash, some carrots 

 should be added in season, and a little green meat in the 

 summer ; but very much depends upon watering, and in this 

 connection grooms have much to learn. 



It is commonly said that unless a horse be in a state 

 bordering on high fever he cannot be in high condition , 



