298 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 
the risk of causing some horsy person to throw down 
my book in disgust—I will state this elementary 
fact: A bran mash, consisting ordinarily of six 
quarts, is made by pouring boiling water upon the 
bran, stirring it, and then covering it with a thick 
cloth or otherwise, and letting it steam for fifteen 
or twenty minutes. The cloth may then be removed 
and the bran given to the horse, in winter while it 
is still warm, in summer when it is cool. 
All tough healthy horses need bran, or its equiva- 
lent. In fact, this general proposition may be laid 
down: strong horses kept on stable food have a ten- 
dency to tightness of the bowels, just as delicate 
horses have the opposite tendency. In the latter case, 
a simple remedy, to be used whenever necessary, is a 
eupful of ordinary wheat flour mixed with the grain 
or put in a pail of water. In some stables the horses 
are “salted” when they receive a bran mash; but 
the better plan is always to have a lump of rock salt 
in a little rack by itself, where it will not contaminate 
the oats. Thus the horse can help himself according 
to his needs. When salt is given only occasionally, 
the animal is sure to take a great deal, and to follow 
it up by drinking immoderately of cold water. Colic 
has often been caused in this manner. 
Bran is a kind of artificial grass, and in summer I 
prefer to let my horses graze a little, or, if this be 
impracticable, to have grass cut for them, which they 
like much less. Not many years ago it would have 
been thought madness to give grass to a horse in full 
training; but this is done nowadays with great benefit 
1 T use the generic term “bran,” but I mean “shorts,” which 
have more body than bran. 
