THE SUCKLING COLT. 11 



ticed. They ran to grass, were fed hay, and 

 night and morning were fed steamed or cooked 

 food — sometimes oats and sometimes barley; 

 they were also fed carrots. Long before the colt 

 was weaned it learned to poach on its mother's 

 meal, and when at four months of age it was 

 weaned, it was fed the same as a yearling or two- 

 year-old. 



If the mare comes in season at thirty days, the 

 colt may again be troubled with diarrhea.- By this 

 time the colt will ordinarily be strong enough to 

 go throi^gh such trouble without ill effects. If the 

 diarrhea continues, however, take the mare from 

 pasture and keep her in a cool, quiet place, take her 

 off of grain feed entirely, and feed her hay or 

 grass for from five to eight days till colt's condi- 

 tion is normal. 



When the colt is two months old its feet may 

 be leveled for the first time with a. rasp; do not 

 use pinchers. The feet should be leveled once' a 

 month, otherwise the wall of the foot will grow 

 down and break off unevenly. Some claim it is not 

 necessary to trim the feet till weaning time. This 

 subject is treated in detail in a later chapter on 

 "Care of Colt's Feet," by Dr. Jack Seiter. 



If the mare does not thrive on pasture at first, 

 she should be taken up each morning and fed some 

 crushed oats and bran equally mixed, say four 

 quarts each morning. She may also be given green 

 corn, sorghum, or alfalfa. She should stay in- 



