14 STABLE MANAGEMENT. 



nothing at all ; and in parts of Australia, and, I 

 believe, America, it is regularly used as a horse food. 

 It is commonly supposed that wheat is almost a 

 rank poison to horses, and will cause fever in the 

 feet ; and no doubt with stabled animals in England 

 it will do so, especially as the majority of cases of 

 this nature are from accidents — horses getting loose 

 and gorging themselves with wheat during the night, 

 or when unobserved. With animals standing out in 

 the open and working hard, as they do in India and 

 the colonies, it is not so dangerous. I should not 

 suddenly change a horse's feed from oats or gram 

 to a full ration of wheat ; but when nothing else can 

 be got, it can be given in a small quantity without 

 much fear of danger ; but as soon as any other grain 

 could be obtained, it should be used. 



Rice (dhan). 



In Eastern Bengal and Assam horses are fed on 

 unhusked rice and will do well on it. During 

 the expedition into the Lushai Hills in 1879-80, 

 in many places nothing else could be got to feed 

 the transport mules on. Gram is not grown in 

 that part of the country, and what little there is 

 has to be imported, and is at a prohibitive price. I 

 found that animals did well enough on an equal 



