112 ESSAYS ON HORSE SUBJECTS 



and respiratory troubles in city and country af- 

 fords a good illustration of cause and effect, but 

 the country horse owner has the advantage, as 

 he has to encounter chiefly diseases that are large- 

 ly preventable. It is a difficult matter to success- 

 fully cope with the prevention of respiratory ail- 

 ments in cities. 



It has been already stated and emphasized that 

 the feeding of too much bulky food to horses is 

 one of the most prolific causes of digestive dis- 

 orders. The question naturally follows: How 

 much is sufficient for a horse to attain the best 

 results? As far as the supply of nourishment is 

 concerned, it can be supplied amply in concen- 

 trated form, as in oats or corn; but a certain 

 amount of bulk is necessary. If there is not a 

 certain amount of bulk in the food material in 

 the bowels, the coats of these organs have not 

 sufficient contents to contract on, so that these 

 organs may be able to move along in proper time 

 substances that should be excreted. The bowels 

 become torpid, as far as excretion is concerned, 

 and the proper digestion and absorption of nu- 

 tritive material is not carried on. Under these 

 circumstances, health and condition cannot be 

 long maintained, and there will be a waste of 

 food fed in concentrated form. Of course, the 

 amount of bulky food necessary varies accord- 

 ing to the size of the horse, and it is approximate- 



