RACKS AND MANGERS. ^ 



admissible for these, and that is enamelled iron ; 

 but they should be placed on the same level with 

 each other, and should not be fixtures to the wall, 

 but made so as to hang from it by claws and 

 rings, or else by a bolting bar. All mangers, 

 whether of iron or wood, should be kept scrupu- 

 lously clean, and constantly scrubbed out with salt 

 and water. 



The old system of placing the hay in a rack 

 above the horse was bad. First of all, why should 

 the wretched animal be compelled to crane its neck 

 up in the air each time it wanted a mouthful of 

 hay ? Again, the seeds from the hay were con- 

 stantly falling into the eyes of horses, and caused 

 great pain and inflammation ; added to which 

 nature never intended a horse to gather his food 

 up in the air, but to eat it off the ground ; nowa- 

 days many people discard racks and mangers alto- 

 gether, and feed their horses entirely on the ground. 

 This is a plan, however, with which I cannot 

 altogether agree, inasmuch as not only much food 

 is wasted in the straw, but it must most certainly 

 tend to encourage a horse to eat his bedding, and 

 that is by no means to be desired, and, moreover, 

 it is hardly possible to give bran mashes on the 

 ground. Where a horse is a cross feeder and bolts 

 his food, it may perhaps be a wise plan ; but I 



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