IV] 



FEEDING, EXERCISE AND TRANSPORT 



33 



already a great amount of salt, so that without 

 extra salt some horses keep in excellent condi- 

 tion. But the addition of salt or the use of rock 

 salt placed in lumps in the manger certainly in- 

 creases the horse's thirst and adds generally to 

 his tone. All horses are fond of salt, and its use 

 increases the power of the blood to resist disease, 

 salt being an antiseptic. Rock salt should be 

 stored in small lumps in perfectly dry places ; a 

 cold place will do no harm as long as it is dry. 

 A damp and warm place will cause it to crumble. 

 Salt (sodium chloride) of any kind assists diges- 

 tion and tends to get rid of worms. 



Crushed oats, bran and other foods are often 

 mixed together and called " chop." Chop is very 

 useful for feeding from the nosebag, but it 

 should not be bought ready mixed, as it is a very 

 common practice for dishonest dealers to add 

 inferior foods. 



127. Cleaning Grain. Grain, especially oats, 

 has very often to be cleaned by being screened, 

 to rid it from dust, small stones, nail heads (from 

 ships' holds), etc. Screening machines can be 

 bought at reasonable prices. 



128. Green Food. The addition of a certain 

 amount of green food to the daily ration is of 

 great value to the horse in spring and summer. 

 It must not be given in large quantities sud- 

 denly, nor in large quantities to a hard-working 

 horse. A few pounds partly mixed with the hay 

 and partly chopped with the feed are excellent, 

 and horses like it. Green food is laxative, and 

 if fed in large quantities will make the horse too 

 soft in condition. It may produce diarrhoea or 

 even colic. Great care must be taken in using 

 it. A horse should never be given grass that has 

 been cut from a damp field, until it has been 

 allowed to dry. A horse fed entirely on green 

 food should have about forty pounds a day. Ten 

 pounds is sufficient for an ordinary working 

 horse, which should be given in lieu of some 

 of the hay and oats. Horses must never be 

 allowed to gorge themselves on green food ; they 

 will try to do so if they are given the oppor- 

 tunity. 



129. Grazing. Grazing is most beneficial to 

 any horse, but especially is it so for the hard- 

 working horse that is fed so much on hard grain. 

 Horses enjoy it immensely, and derive the utmost 

 benefit from even a few minutes' grazing a day. 

 No opportunity should ever be lost by riders or 

 drivers to allow their horses to nibble at the 

 grass along the side of the road. Such oppor- 

 tunities occur almost hourly to the soldier in the 

 field, and cavalrymen are always taught to graze 

 their horses at every opportunity. A few mouth- 

 fuls quench a horse's thirst and perhaps appetite 

 for a while, and will never do any harm unless 

 the horse is very heated and the grass is covered 

 with frost, when it is dangerous. Horses that are 

 heated or that have just been doing hard work 

 should not be allowed to graze on wet grass. 



This may not harm some horses, but there is a 

 risk of flatulent colic or even enteritis setting in. 

 Grazing in the same way as feeding green fodder 

 keeps the horse's bowels in good condition and 

 assists in maintaining good health. Well-cared- 

 for horses should get half an hour's grazing every 

 day in the spring. 



130. Pasture. All horses should, if possible, 

 be turned out to pasture for two weeks every 

 year. The summer is the best time for this, but 

 I do not recommend that a bobtail horse should 

 be turned out during the fly season. Pasture is 

 also most necessary for horses with sore feet, or 

 for those who are recovering from a splint, 

 spavin or other injury (see Chapter IX.). Great 

 care must be taken that there is a plentiful supply 

 of water in the field ; also that there is no barbed 

 wire in reach of the horses. The state of the 

 pasture must be given careful consideration. 

 Horses are too often put into scanty pastures ; 

 besides this being cruel, the horse does not 

 benefit, but probably comes in worse than when 

 he went out. Weeds and rushes and bad grasses, 

 however plentiful, are worse than useless. 

 Horses, while at pasture for only a few weeks, 

 and if taken from hard work and put back to 

 hard work afterwards, can be kept in fair con- 

 dition by being fed on four to six pounds of oats 

 a day, half in the morning and half at night. 

 The heating effect of the grain is counteracted by 

 the grass. If pasture is not good, oats must be 

 fed at least once a day. 



131. Hay. Hay varies so greatly in its quality 

 that it is necessary that horse owners should 

 have considerable knowledge of what is bad, in- 

 different or good hay. The value and quality of 

 hay vary according to the grasses and herbage 

 that it is composed of, the time of year it was 

 cut, the manner in which it was saved, and the 

 soil on which it was grown ; the last is the 

 most important factor that affects the value and 

 quality of hay. Hay is composed of dry grasses 

 and herbage, etc., that have been allowed to 

 mature in a stack. Herbage consists of the 

 plants that are not true grasses. Since the intro- 

 duction of modern farm drainage and irrigation, 

 practically all hay is " meadow hay," i.e. that 

 grown on land suitably drained or irrigated, as 

 the case may be, and used for hay, year after 

 year. Grass that is gathered from very damp 

 districts is distinguished by the presence of water 

 grasses, rushes and sedges, forming what is 

 known as water-meadow hay ; all the grasses in 

 it are coarse, as a rule. 



Hay that is grown from seed sown as a rota- 

 tion crop is spoken of as " ley " hay, and may be 

 cut for two or three years in succession, after 

 which the land will be used again for grain, 

 roots, etc. Ley hay is known as artificial, hard 

 or seed hay. Hay that is largely composed of 

 clover is called clover hay. Meadow hay is dis- 

 tinguished by its fineness and by the large variety 



