THE HOUSE. 33 



form, and health ; these circumstances, especially the work, 

 must regulate the allowance. 



When the horse has to work as much and as often as he is 

 able, his allowance of food should be unlimited. 



When the work is such as to destroy the legs more than it 

 exhausts the system, the food must be given with some restric- 

 tion, unless the horse be a poor eater. 



When the work is moderate, or less than moderate, a good 

 feeder will eat too much. 



When the weather is cold, horses that are much exposed to 

 it require more food than when the weather is warm. 



When the horse is in good working condition, he needs less 

 food than while he is only getting into condition. 



Young growing horses require a little more food than those 

 of mature age ; but, as they are not fit for full work, the dif- 

 ference is not great. 



Old horses, those that have begun to decline in vigor, require 

 more food than the young or the matured. 



Hot-tempered, irritable horses seldom feed well ; but those 

 that have good appetites require more food to keep them in 

 condition, than others of quiet and calm disposition. 



Small-bellied, narrow-chested horses require more food than 

 those of deep and round carcass ; but few of them eat enough 

 to maintain them in condition for full work. 



Lame, greasy-heeled, and harness-galled horses require an 

 extra allowance of food to keep them in working condition. 



Sickness, fevers, inflammations, all diseases which influence 

 health so much as to throw the horse off work, demand, with 

 few exceptions, a spare diet, which, in general, consists of 

 bran-mashes, grass, carrots, and hay.* 



5. Watering. This is a part of stable management little 

 regarded by the farmer. He lets his horses loose morning and 

 night, and they go to the nearest pond or brook and drink their 

 fill, and no harm results, for they obtain that kind of water 



* Stewart's Stable Book. 

 2* 



