136 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. 



being either of the farm horse or the pampered and high-bred racei. 

 That is to say, racers are often "drawn down" too fine, and the ordinary 

 work horse too often suffers from neglect. Thus in the first class we see 

 a number of diseases seldom shown in the stables of horses with suf- 

 ficient care, w^hile the stables of horses carefully kept seldom suffer with 

 the class of diseases found when horses are allowed to go dirty from day 

 to day, and often from week to week. 



To commence at the beginning, the breeder who would succeed with 

 any class of horses, should see that the mare, while carrjdng the foal, 

 has sufficient food and shelter, and that the foal itself is sufficiently nour- 

 lAed during the period of growth. Nothing is gained by insufficient 

 shelter and food, whatever the use for which the animal is intended, and 

 this brings us to the question of the food itself. 



n. What to Feed. 



In the West the feed of all horses of whatever class is oats, Indian 

 •«rn, bran and hay. Whatever the work to be done, bran should always 

 be kept, since a horse being off his feed, or slightly ailing from any 

 cause not indicative of violent disease, bran mashes with good nursing 

 wjftl bring him out all right in nine cases out of ten. So, in the Winter 

 "when horses are confined to hard food, a bran-mash once a week should 

 be given, and this generally on Sunday morning. On the farm there is 

 Hothing better than an occasional feed of roots — carrots, Swedish turnips, 

 or mangel wurtzel — being valuable in the order named. If a peck of 

 these could be given daily as an evening or noonday meal, the good 

 effects of this feeding w^ould be quickly shown. For the mares before 

 foaling time, for the farm or draft horse, for the carriage horses of the 

 citizen, and even for the fast driven roadster, or racer, when not being 

 driven to exhaustive work, these will be found valuable. 



The foal itself should be learned to eat roots as quickly as possible, 

 auo.d if the mare takes kindly to them it will not be a difficult matter for 

 the foal to learn to eat them. As to the other food of the young colt or 

 filly, oats alone with grass or hay, according to the season, should be 

 allowed. In the Winter, half oats and half corn may be given with ben- 

 efit, unless the young things are intended for racing or trotting, and are 

 kept in warm stables ; then Indian corn would not be desirable, as being 

 too heating under the circumstances. 



For the ordinary farm team, or other horses of slow work, Indian corn 

 may be the main dependence in Winter, in connection with good hay ; 

 especially so if a few roots can be allowed as a portion of the daily 

 Wroveoder. For fast working horses, sound oats and hay will be tb* 



