HOURS OF FEEDING. 191 



hour for the second feed need not be much earlier than 

 before. As horses vary greatly with respect to their powers 

 of digestion, we can lay down no hard and fast rule in 

 this case. 



As soon as a hunter has done his work in the field, he 

 should be watered and fed with as little delay as practicable. 

 As a rule, his shortest turn of service will be when he is 

 relieved from active duty at the change of horses, say, at half- 

 past one or two. If he cannot then get home in about an hour 

 and a half s walking and quiet jogging, he should, if possible, 

 be watered and have a small feed at any convenient inn or 

 other place of bait. As we have already seen, he should be 

 watered in any case. 



When a horse, like a 'bus or tram animal, has a fixed task 

 to do, the interval between it and the feed immediately pre- 

 ceding it should not be less than two hours. 



Animals that have to work more or less continuously, either 

 by day or night, will obtain the greatest benefit from the 

 London cabman's practice of putting on the nosebag during 

 the intervals between the spells of labour. Canal-boat horses 

 are often fed out of their nosebag or sheet-iron pail while they 

 are towing their load. 



I trust that the illustrations I have given will be sufficient 

 to explain the principles which should be followed in fixing 

 the hours of feeding working horses. The circumstances of 

 the case will suggest any alterations that may be necessary. 



