CHAPTER XL 

 REARING YOUNG COLTS. 



Tpeatment of Mares when suckling colts— The Colts and their 

 treatment. 



' I ^HERE are various opinions expressed with regard to 

 ^ rearing young colts Some people will put a mare in 

 constant work about a fortnight or three weeks after she has 

 foaled, and of course she is nursing the foal at the 

 same time. Now it does not injure or keep back the colt 

 much if the mare only works steadily. For instance, if 

 she is a cart mare it will do her no harm to let her do a 

 few odd jobs on the farm. In such a case as this I do not 

 think it makes the slighest difference to the colt in any 

 way. Some farmers however, when they have a young colt, 

 let the mare go to plough and work hard, this is both bad 

 for the mare and very injurious to the colt ; as a rule the 

 young ones do not get along nearly so well. 



Then again, people who have never been accustomed 

 to bring up a colt work the mare. It may perhaps be a 

 hackney or nag mare, and when she comes home she 

 naturally wants to get to the foal, and the latter is in just 

 the same mind. Now the foal should never be allowed to 

 suck when the mare is hot, not until she has cooled down. 



