102 Breeding. 



she requires corn, bran mashes, with malt, carrots, Swedes, 

 lucerne, or green food in some shape, according to the 

 season of the year. 



Management of the Foal. 



Handling the foal should be commenced as soon as he 

 is born, because it is at that time that he is most easily 

 rendered tractable, and regardless of the presence of his 

 attendant, who should make a practice of rubbing his 

 head, picking up his feet, &c, long before he wants to 

 do anything with those parts. But if these acts are post- 

 poned till they are really wanted to be done, the colt is 

 wild and unmanageable, and neither physic nor anything 

 else can be administered without a degree of violence 

 very dangerous to its welfare. The foal is very liable to 

 diarrhoea, which should at once be checked by a drench of 

 rice-water, with one or two drachms of laudanum ; this 

 will always stop it if repeated after every loose motion. 

 The sun should in all cases be admitted to the box, 

 whether in winter or summer, and without it no young 

 animal will long be in health. If the weather is very 

 severe, with wet as well as cold, the upper half only of the 

 door should be opened while the sun is out ; but if the 

 weather is dry, the mare and foal may be allowed to run 

 into the yard, or, if not very cold and frosty, into the 

 paddock for a short time. By the end of the month the 

 foal will begin to eat kibbled oats, which may be given in 

 its own low manger, and with the mare tied up to hers. 

 As many of them as the foal will eat will do good ; and 

 it never happens, that I have heard, that a young foal will 

 eat more than enough of this food, which is the mainstay 

 of the young racer. Much of the success of racing stock 

 depends upon their early forcing by means of corn ; and 

 as far as he is concerned, the mare as well as himself can 

 hardly have too much, consistently with a continuance of 

 health. When the mare is tied up the halter should not 

 be longer than necessary, nor should it be fastened to a 

 low ring, as it has often happened that the foal has 

 become entangled in it when low, and has been ruined by 

 its own struggles, or those of its mother. At six months 



