THE CARE OF HORSES. 295 
whereas, if the supply be stinted, a large part of it 
will become so dirty as to be incapable of further 
use, Bedding is only less important than 
FEEDING. 
Under fed, hard worked horses sometimes fall in the 
street from sheer weakness, induced by want of oats. 
On the other hand, many, perhaps most, gentlemen’s 
horses are fed too high. In city stables, especially in 
boarding and club stables, the horses receive too much 
grain and too little hay. Consequently they are apt 
to have a shrunken appearance, and to become what is 
known as “ grain-burnt.” 
For young horses and colts, hay three times a day, 
and plenty of it, is indispensable. The physiological 
reason for this was well stated by Hiram Woodruff, 
as follows: “In order to thrive, the horse, young or 
old, must not only have his stomach supplied with a 
sufficient quantity of nutritious food, but also with 
enough matter not so highly nutritious to distend it. 
A horse or a colt fed only on the substances which 
go to make up his substance would starve, though you 
gave them to him in the greatest abundance.” And 
he adds, on the same subject: “ While the animal is 
young, a good distention of the stomach is calculated 
to produce that roundness of rib which we see in 
so many of our best horses. Now this capacity of 
the carcass .. . is not going to be obtained by the 
feeding of food in the concentrated shape. Bulk 
is required, and the pulp and essence need not be 
given in large quantity until the organization is 
formed, and extraordinary exertion is required of 
the horse.” 
