Food, Grooming, Water, Clipping 257 



rather callous view of the matter, and quite gen- 

 uinely a selfish one, but if we get our work for a 

 brief period capably performed at no expense to us, 

 and provide the market with an animal of good 

 character, able at once to perform the same satis- 

 factory work for another owner, perhaps after all 

 we " build better than we know." 



The thin horse's digestion is generally weakened, 

 and what he needs is nutritious and easily assimi- 

 lated food given frequently and in small quantities. 

 The animal's stomach is very small in proportion 

 to his size, and he will almost surely overload it if 

 given the chance. Therefore frequent feedings are 

 necessary, and cooked food is generally most useful, 

 such as boiled oats, linseed mashes, etc., as recom- 

 mended in this chapter. Milk may often be obtained 

 at a reasonable price, and horses will soon learn 

 to drink it. 



A supply of salt should be found in all stables. 

 This is best provided in the shape of a lump of rock 

 salt, to which every horse should have access. 

 Horses doing little work are more in need of salt, 



