286 STABLE ECONOMY. 



allowed our horse to drink while on the road, every 4 to 7 

 miles, as near as convenient, or as opportunity allowed. He 

 would merely rinse his mouth in the water, or drink from 

 one to three quarts, which seemed to refresh him sufficient- 

 ly, without ever overloading his stomach or making him 

 heavy. He was a superior traveller, and averaged 45 miles 

 per day. From this and other shorter experiments we have 

 made at various times, we think that water every hour or 

 two, and ad libitum, is the best for a horse engaged in ordin- 

 ary hard work.] 



Habitual Restriction. — It is Lawrence, I think, who re- 

 marks that grooms consider water as at best a necessary evil. 

 Among professional men, I mean among veterinarians, it is 

 the general opinion that horses should not suffer habitual re- 

 striction. It is admitted that the horse should not be permit- 

 ted to drink as much as he pleases when he is very thirsty, 

 nor when he is hot, nor to drink largely when he is just going 

 to fast work. But it is contended that, except under these 

 circumstances, he should have water as much as he pleases, 

 and when he pleases. A great many horses, hunters and ra- 

 cers especially, and some mail-horses, are never indulged 

 with an unlimited quantity of water. I have frequently in- 

 quired the reason of this. Some tell me that water in unlim- 

 ited quantity is dangerous ; others say that it would purge 

 the horse ; others, that it would break his wind ; others, that 

 it would make his belly too large ; and a few declare that 

 the horse will neither eat nor work if he be constantly 

 confined to a. small allowance of water. I would not speak 

 confidently, but I am disposed to believe that there is no good 

 reason for constant restriction, and that the evils which grooms 

 fear are those which arise from a large draught of water 

 given at once, and especially when the horse is going to 

 work. They carry restriction so far that the horse is always 

 thirsty, and if he accidentally reach a large quantity he is al- 

 most sure to drink too much. It is not considered that this 

 quantity would never be taken if water were given so often 

 that the horse could not become so thirsty. This appears to 

 me to be the foundation of the groom's fears. 



But still there may be some other reason for withholding 

 water. It is quite possible that horses may be disposed to 

 consume more fluid than is good for them. They may be 

 stronger or swifter than if they were permitted to drink as 

 much as they pleased. This has never been proved, but a 

 few experiments would set the matte*- t rest, and a point of 



