MIXED BOILED FOOD CHAFF. 99 



the quantity of this chaff ; and the other half given 

 afterwards. 



After a horse has picked up in flesh, and is capable 

 of being ridden for mornings' and evening's exer- 

 cise, he must not be allowed to get gross. A horse, 

 after four years old, should never be too fat, any 

 more than he should be too thin. Feeding also too 

 much or too long on boiled food, chaff, sugar, &c., is 

 bad ; it must always be discontinued as improvement 

 takes place, for it makes the flesh too soft, and may 

 possibly have something to do with engendering 

 worms ; and the same benefit will not be derived 

 from it as if given only during the times of thinness 

 or sickness. 



A horse that has been long thin and out of condi- 

 tion, (if the emaciation is not caused solely by star- 

 vation or overwork,) always needs a mild dose of phy- 

 sic, previous to being fed on boiled mixed food. The 

 " ALTERATIVES," p. 74, are generally best adapted 

 to this case, provided the owner will only see 

 his horse properly mashed, to prevent the chance 

 of over-purging, and thereby doing more harm than 

 good/" 



* Caveat Emptor, p. 19. "I fed him for a month on chopped clover, bran, 

 and malt, fermented by a little yeast. This is the way to pickle a horse for 

 a friend !" 



The above kind of feeding, continued incessantly for eight or nine weeks, 

 lies on the fat in an extraordinary manner. The belly does not become large; 

 on the contrary, there will generally be a nice, round- looking carcase, from 

 the great nutriment contained in the food, and its easiness of digestion ; but 

 the whole barrel, as well as the neck, become thickly laden with gross fat. In 

 England, where the generality of horses are geldings, and the neck consequent- 

 ly thin, the bellies being also often of large size, a little of this benefits the 

 appearance ; but to Arabs, who are almost all entire, and whose necks, with 

 the exception of the high caste, are seldom over-light, too much feeding on 

 such fattening stuff ruins, instead of improving, the appearance. 



