38 THE HORSE. 



Common Brror of Feeding". An error that produces many dis- 

 orders of the digestive system, is To FEED Too soon after a hard 

 DAY'S WORK. A very small quantity of hay may be given but grain 

 should not be fed within less than an hour. 



Horse has a Small Stomacli. An examination of the ANA- 

 TOMICAI, MANIKIN OF THE HORSE as found in the beginning 

 of this book, shows that the horse has a very small stomach iu pro- 

 portion to his size. This proves to us that the horse should be fed in 

 small quantities and often. The disproportion between the size of the 

 stomach and the amount of water usually given at one time shows plain- 

 ly that the horse should always be watered before feeding. Feed at 

 least three times a day, and not wholly on concentrated food. Bulky 

 food must be given to detain the food in its passage through the small 

 intestines, so that it can be thoroughly digested and the nutriment ab- 

 sorbed. 



Ten Pounds of Hay a Day. A horse that is fed twelve quarts of 

 oats a day, or other grain in proportion, should be allowed ten to twelve 

 pounds of good timothy hay a day. Do not keep horses that are at light 

 work, entirely on hay, if you do they will soon become "pot-bellied," 

 fall off in flesh, and will not thrive. Even colts unless fed with some 

 grain, grow up long, lean, ana gawky, and never make as good horses 

 as those accustomed to grain. 



Hay The best hay for horses is timothj'. Hay from six months 

 to a yea: and a half old is best. It should be of a greenish color, crisp, 

 clean and fresh. New hay is hard to digest, produces "slobbering" 

 and sometimes diarrhea. Mow-burnt hay produces disorders of the 

 kidneys and bowels. Musty or moldy hay has often been said to pro- 

 duce that peculiar disease variously known as cerebro-spinal-meningitis, 

 putrid sore throat, or choking distemper. 



Straw. The straws are not extensively fed in this country, and 

 when used at all they should be cut and mixed with hay, and ground or 

 crushed grains. Wheat, rye, and oat straw are the ones most used, and 

 of these oat straw is the most easily digested and contains the most 

 nourishment. Pea and bean straw are occasionally fed to horses, the 

 pea being preferable according to most writers. 



Chaff. Wheat and rye chaff should NEVER be used as a food for 

 horses. The beards frequently become lodged in the mouth or throat 

 and are productive of more or less serious trouble. In the stomach and 

 intestines they often serve as the nucleus of the "soft concretions" 



