1 8 HORSE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA 



get inside the cloth and hurt the leg. This is especially 

 the case when animals are galloped on tan. 



Bedding. — Long wheaten straw furnishes the softest 

 and most comfortable bedding for the horse, especially if 

 he be without clothing. Oat straw is brittle, so does not 

 last as well as that obtained from wheat. Horses rarely 

 care to eat rice straw, which is far from being economical 

 to use, as it very quickly breaks up. With respect to 

 horses eating their bedding, see p. 40. 



If it be desired to prevent a horse from eating his 

 bedding, the straw may be damped, and kept in the sun 

 a few days before using, so that it may become too sapless 

 and unpalatable to be chosen in preference to grass, while 

 a layer of old bedding may be kept on the top. Such 

 cases of morbid appetite will generally call for medical 

 treatment, if a full supply of salt and green meat, such as 

 carrots, lucerne, etc., fail to correct the habit. 



Gheena straw makes excellent bedding, as it is soft, 

 difficult to break, and unpalatable to most horses. 



The bedding should be carefully spread, so as to be as 

 comfortable as possible for the horse, and should be 

 banked up around the walls, so that the animal may not 

 hurt himself when lying down, or when rolling. At the 

 entrance of the box or stall, for appearance' sake, the 

 bedding should be arranged in a straight line, which may 

 be finished off by a piece of plaited straw being stretched 

 along it. 



Hard-worked horses should, if possible, have the bed- 

 ding under them by day as well as by night, so that they 

 may have every inducement to lie down and rest them- 

 selves when they choose. Besides, when the horse stands 



