THE STABLE 23 



temperament, like men ; some are more teachable than 

 others. The horse should be at all times treated kindly in 

 the stable, spoken to kindly and not bullied. Some 

 stablemen are too fond of shouting at the horses entrusted 

 to their care, and apparently think it is clever and a good 

 point in horsemanship to well master the horse by 

 continual shouting and bullying. 



Early rising is the important point in stable manage- 

 ment. Six o'clock is the best time to open the stable 

 door. The first thing to do is to go up to all the horses 

 and see if they are well and if they have cleared their 

 food up. Water first, except, perhaps, in very cold 

 weather, when a handful of hay could be given first. 

 The morning feed should consist of corn and sweet chaff, 

 which should be well digested before the horse is taken 

 to his work. It is a good plan to let him walk the first 

 half-mile ; this aids digestion, hardens the muscles, and 

 balances the horse for his day's work. I am a great 

 believer in the old adage, " Little and often." If the 

 horse is fed at six a.m., then he will require a short feed 

 at ten a.m. ; this will stay him until dinner-time, when 

 he should have a nourishing feed of best corn and good 

 clean chaff — ^not forgetting to water first. He will require 

 a nice tea, as well as his master, and also a feed the 

 last thing. A great many horsemen feed in for the last 



