BREEDING. 239 



The thorough-bred mare — the stock being intended for sport- 

 ing purposes — should be kept quiet, and apart from other horses, 

 after the first four or five months. When the period of parturi- 

 tion is drawing near, she should be watched and 'shut up during 

 the night in a safe yard or loose box. 



If the mare, whether of the pure or common breed, be thus 

 taken care of, and be in good health while in foal, little danger 

 will attend the act of parturition. If there is false presentation of 

 the foetus, or difficulty in producing it, it will be' better to have 

 recourse to a well-informed practitioner, than to injure the 

 mother by the violent and injurious attempts that are often made 

 to relieve her. 



The parturition being over, the mare should be turned into 

 some well-sheltered pasture, with a hovel or shed to run into when 

 she plea;ses ; and if she has foaled early, and grass is scanty, she 

 should have a couple of feeds of grain daily. The breeder may 

 depend upon it, that nothing is gained by starving the mother 

 and stinting the foal at this time. It is the most important pe- 

 riod of the life of the horse ; and if, from false economy, his growth 

 is arrested, his puny form and want of endurance will ever after- 

 wards testify the error that has been cornmitted. The grain 

 should be given in a trough on the ground, that the foal may par- 

 take of it with the mother. When the new grass is plentiful, the 

 quantity of corn may gradually be diminished. 



The mare wiU usually be found again at heat at or before the 

 expiration of a monlh from the time of foaling, when, if she is 

 principally kept for /breeding purposes, she may be put again to 

 the horse. At the ssfoe time, also, if she is used for agricultural pur- 

 poses, she may go aguin to work. The foal is at first shut in the sta- 

 ble during the hours of work ; but as soon as it acquires sufficient 

 strength to toddle after the mare, and especially when she is at 

 slow work, it will be better for the foal and the dam that they 

 should be together. The work will contribute to the health ot 

 the mother ; the foal will more frequently draw the milk, and 

 thrive better, and will he hardy and tractable, and gradually fa- 

 ipiliarized with the objects among which it is afterwards to live 

 While the mother, however, is thus worked, she and the foa. 

 should be well fed; and two feeds of com, at least, should be 

 added to the green food which they get when turned out after 

 their work, and at night. 



In five or six months, according to the growth of the foal, i1 

 may be weaned. It should then be housed for three weeks or a 

 month, or turned into some distant rick-yard. There can be no 

 better place for the foal than the latter, as affording, and that 

 witliout trouble, both food and shelter. The mother should be 

 pat to harder work and have drier food. One or two tirine-baUsi 



