THE PONT. 



He is naturally an herbivorous animal. His thin and mus- 

 cular lips, his firm and compressed mouth, and his sharp in- 

 cisor teeth, are admirably adapted to seize and crop the grass ; 

 and, although we know nothing of him in his natural state, yet 

 when he has escaped the bondage of man and follows his own 

 propensities, grass is his chosen food. In his domesticated state, 

 however, he was destined to live partially or chiefly on other 

 aliment, and that of a much harder kind — the various species of 

 com ; therefore, while man and the carnivorous animals can 

 only champ and crush their food, a provision is given to the 

 horse, in the structure of some of the bones of his face, by 

 which he can comminute and grind down his food as perfectly 

 as in the best-contrived mill. Therefore there is no necessity 

 to crush oats or beans before they are offered to the animail. 

 Let it be borne ia mind that in the beautifol working of 

 nature's laws, although to keep the body healthful constant 

 exercise of its various members is essential, yet in every 

 case is this exercise more or less pleasurable ; so that in saving 

 a horse the trouble of grinding the com he eats, we may be 

 wantonly lessening the pleasure a meal should afford him. 

 As to the new-fangled " horse-food," the best that can be said, 

 that in one case out of five it may be as good — it cannot be bet- 

 ter — than the old-fashioned food, oats and hay. This should be 

 its food during the winter months, with, perhaps, a little chaff 

 thrown in by way of amusement ; in the summer, green food 

 must be substituted for hay. As to the quantity of food to be 

 given to a horse or pony, that mast be regulated by the crea- 

 ture's appetite. In this respect horses are like men: some 

 will look, and really be, hungry after consuming twice as much 

 as will amply satisfy others. 



It will very much conduce to the pony's comfort, and to 

 the good understanding that should exist between you, if you 

 study to treat hiin Uke what he really is — an animal of com- 

 paratively high intellect. Treat bim like a drone and a dolt, 

 convey your simplest orders at the end of the whip-thong, 

 substitute a painful " sawing " of his mouth for a gentle word, 

 and he will very justly set all the brutality in his nature 

 against yours, and earn the character of a vixen : but treat 

 Tiirn as you would a pet dog, talk to him (horses love to be 

 talked to), if you are not of too grave a turn, play with him 

 now and then, and when he seems particularly inclined for a 

 game. Ton will find this course not only the most pleasant, but 

 by far the most economical : he will cost you nothing for physio j 



