108 THE HOUSE. 



SECTION XVIII. 



The English stable food for saddle horses, con- 

 sists of meadow hay, oats white or black, and small or 

 horse beans ; the latter when used, in the proportion 

 of a pint or upwards to a peck of oats, or a handful 

 to a feed. Beans, a binding and strengthening food 

 are for extraordinary occasions, as to encourage mas- 

 tication, some horses swallowing their oats whole. 

 Neither new oats nor beans should be used, as they 

 loosen and scour the horse ; should it be necessary to 

 use such, they should be previously kiln dried. White 

 pease are occasionally substituted for beans, chiefly, 

 I believe, in the running stables. A small quantit 

 of the chaff of hay mixed in a feed of oats, is often 

 found useful. Short, plump, heavy oats, as free from 

 husk as they can be procured, and perfectly sweet, 

 are cheaper at the extra price, than the light and 

 ordinary samples ; three quarters of a peck of the one 

 will impart more strength to the horse, than a peck 

 of the other; that, suppose the keeper of a hack 

 allowed him but three quarters of good corn per day, 

 the nag would be more thankful to him for that allow- 

 ance, than for a peck of the light and chaffy, musty 

 and ordinary species. I incline to think that white 

 oats, as well as in price, are higher in value, than 

 black. I tried ground corn for cart horses during 

 several years, but could perceive no advantage from 

 it ; it can only be necessary for horses unable to mas- 

 ticate. 



We find in books, particularly of the military class, 

 precise rules by the scale, for the quantity of hay to 



