232 STABLES. 



bails. Protection from kicking may be afforded by suspend- 

 ing from the bails a thick mat of rope or other suitable 

 material. 



The necessity for the horse's water, corn, and hay being kept 

 apart at watering and feeding times, is recognised by almost 

 every groom, and is self-evident in the case of water. As 

 horses usually prefer corn to hay, they will as a rule endeavour 

 to throw out the latter during their search for the former, if 

 both be given in the same receptacle. Horses will generally 

 go through a similar performance while eating, out of a 

 manger, hay that has been made from too ripe grass, the 

 seeds of which will tend to drop out of their respective ears 

 and to accumulate at the bottom of the feeding vessel. 

 Another objection to a combined corn and hay manger, is 

 that, with such an arrangement, the groom would often have 

 the slight extra trouble of being obliged to remove the 

 remainder of the hay before giving a feed of corn ; because 

 a horse as a rule consumes hay far more slowly than oats. 

 The infliction of annoyance on the horse in making him hunt 

 for his corn in a mass of hay is, I think, undesirable, especially 

 in the case of long hay, which offers greater impediment to 

 this search than that which has been cut into short lengths. 

 When animals are fed on short hay or chop, I do not see 

 much objection to the practice of using only one feeding 

 receptacle for the hay and corn ; although with long hay I 

 think it is a decided advantage for a hard-worked horse to 

 have these two articles of forage kept separate, so that he can 

 turn from one to the other as he chooses. The manger, 

 besides serving for corn, will be the most convenient feeding 

 utensil for mashes and roots on account of its being generally 

 empty, to say nothing of its size and shape. 



The materials used for receptacles for water and food 

 should be strong, non-absorbent, and fairly cheap ; and 

 whatever article of either kind is kept constantly in reach 



