132 THE HORSE 



sumed that the grain under consideration is of the 

 very highest quality. 



Hay 



The horse is so fashioned as to require a certain 

 proportion of bulky food for the mechanical dis- 

 tention of his stomach, without which it will not 

 act properly. Hay, in the absence of grass, fulfils 

 this function, and for this reason it is not correct 

 to give a dietary of oats ad lib., vfith a little hay 

 as an addition, but exactly the opposite, and, pre- 

 sumably, more natural and healthy regune. It is 

 customary to give chopped hay with the oats in 

 many stables, with the idea that it will prevent 

 the horse being able to " gobble " his feed up too 

 rapidly. We fail to see any advantage in this 

 mixed ration, and it is liable to give rise to several 

 undesirable results. For instance, a horse will 

 generally " nose " out a good deal of the chopped 

 hay to get at the grain, and a proportion of the 

 feed will in consequence be wasted. Also, the 

 owner is sometimes tempted to cut up inferior hay 

 with the idea that the horse will eat it thus, 

 though he would refuse it if given whole. As bad 

 hay is equally injurious to the animal whether he 

 eats it long or short, this practice cannot be tOQ 



