IV] 



FEEDING, EXERCISE AND TRANSPORT 



41 



kidneys, and therefore blood, in good order. 

 Overfeeding saltpetre (nitre) will result in serious 

 injury to the heart, etc., of many horses. Any 

 salt of potassium given in large amounts is a 

 poison ; toxic doses cause death by gastritis and 

 enteritis and arrest of the circulation. It must 

 not be given in inflammatory conditions of the 

 intestinal tract, kidneys or bladder. 



163. Condition Food and Powders. A good 

 condition food for Saturday night, to be given 

 at the evening meal, is made as follows : Take 

 a bucket of bran, about four ounces of liquorice, 

 and one pound of linseed (ground) ; pour on 

 enough boiling water to make a pudding, stir 

 well, cover, and feed when cool enough. 



Two ounces of linseed oil on the feed every 

 night is excellent for gaining condition and im- 

 proving the coat. A teacupful of ground linseed 

 will do as well. 



A very good condition powder is as follows : 



Flowers of sulphur ... 2 oz. 



Nitre oz. 



Gentian root i oz. 



Fenugreek 2 oz. 



Oil of linseed 1 oz. 



Mix and make into powder ; give one tea- 

 spoonful (half an ounce) on damped feed twice 

 a day. Vary dose according to the size of horse. 

 Another good powder is : 



Nitre 



Sulphate of iron 



Gentian root 



\ oz. 



2 oz. 



3 oz. 



Give two teaspoonfuls at night in feed. 



Fowler's solution of arsenic may be given for 

 a week in one drachm (teaspoonful) doses at 

 night ; it should not be given for a longer period, 

 as it has a cumulative poisoning effect on the 

 liver. The effects of arsenic poisoning cannot, 

 as a rule, be got out of the system. After a rest 

 of two weeks it may be given again for another 

 week, followed by another two weeks' rest. 



164. It must be clearly borne in mind that 

 condition in horses prevents to a very great 

 extent the possibility of galling from ill-fitting 

 saddlery and harness and from bad riding. 



Every working horse should be given one 

 whole day's rest once a week. The London 

 General Omnibus Company used never to work 

 their horses seven days a week, and there is 

 no doubt that the horses of this company were 

 in better condition than those of many other 

 companies. If horses have to work on Sunday 

 they must have a day's rest in the week. Every 

 horse-owning firm could arrange this, and it is 

 their duty to do eo if they study economy and 

 humanity. 



It is very essential to attend to the special 

 feeding of horses on their day of rest. They 

 should receive a hot mash the previous night 



and be given smaller rations on the holiday. 

 If their usual feed is kept up, on the following 

 day the not uncommon Monday morning ills, as 

 azoturia, lymphangitis, etc., may result. These 

 diseases are a sure sign of neglect or ignorance. 

 Overfeeding in this case is as cruel as under- 

 feeding. 



165. Exercise. Work is that which a horse 

 performs as demanded by man, and may be 

 more than is good for his health. Exercise is 

 that which he performs for the purpose of keep- 

 ing in good health and for developing his natural 

 powers. Hence work may be continued until it 

 produces fatigue, but exercise should never be 

 carried to this extent. 



The common fault with grooms is to give too 

 little rather than too much exercise. A horse in 

 good condition requires two hours' good walking 

 exercise a day. Exercise is needed to maintain 

 the balance between bodily waste and bodily 

 repair. 



The muscles alone are not affected by exercise, 

 but every organ and portion of the whole body 

 is stimulated in its function, and hence induces 

 a greater blood supply to that part. Secretions 

 and excretions of every kind are increased ; 

 poisons are quickly eliminated by increased 

 secretions of the lungs and skin. With fast work 

 a horse may lose five times as much water 

 through its skin and lungs than it does when at 

 rest. This produces health by removing im- 

 purities from the system. Hence during hard 

 work and hot weather we must give the horse 

 all the water it will drink, not only to satisfy 

 its thirst, but to keep it in good condition. The 

 same applies to human beings. 



Exercise increases the bodily temperature, 

 and, as explained above, cold water is necessary 

 to keep the temperature down. If hard work is 

 given without water the skin becomes unnatural, 

 hard and dry, but upon water being given soon 

 becomes damp. As long as exercise is continued 

 there is no danger of chill from cold water being 

 given ; founder, colic, and other troubles result 

 from hot and tired horses being watered and 

 then left standing, perhaps only for a few 

 minutes. Exercise, as stated before, causes pro- 

 duction of heat ; food also causes a production 

 of heat chemically ; so that when horses are 

 turned out in cold weather, or when doing slow 

 work in cold weather, they require more food to 

 keep up the internal temperature of their bodies. 

 This food should be of a heating nature, such 

 as beans. (See Sec. 118.) 



166. Want of exercise predisposes a horse's 

 tendons, muscles and ligaments to receiving in- 

 juries. Lymphangitis, founder and azoturia are 

 generally the result of irregular exercise and un- 

 suitable feeding. A horse is meant to be at work, 

 and standing idle in the stable is unnatural to 

 him. Exercise places these muscles, etc., in the 

 best state to resist strains, besides being re- 



