142 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



from weak constitution or a nervous temper, are 

 apt to be more loose in their bodies than we might 

 wish. 



When I had the management of my father's 

 horses as well as my own, he had an old fa- 

 vourite that I fed wholly on barley, that is, as corn 

 feed. I tried him repeatedly on oats with beans, 

 but a few days showed the change both of con- 

 dition and spirits; so barley he ate till the day 

 of his death, which did not occur till he had carried 

 my father thirteen successive seasons, and was 

 twenty-four years old. He went at that age as 

 well as ever he did in his life, had not the vestige 

 of a windgall on either leg, never was lame, nor 

 had an ailment of any sort. He was suddenly 

 seized with paralysis of the spine, died, and was 

 buried with all due honours. 



I believe that barley soaked in water and then 

 left to sprout is a good thing to bring horses out 

 of work into condition, but I never tried it. 

 Barley, like all stable corn, must, of course, be of 

 a sufficient age, and bruised. 



Carrots. 



Having had so many horses of all sorts under 

 my care, I have used carrots in large quantities ; 

 still I do not mean so as to the quantity given 

 each horse. Towards spring, when horses have 



