SECTION XXXI. 



FEED AND CARE OF HORSES. 



Requirements. — A horse or mule requires digestible nutrients 

 to furnish the energy required for walking, pulling loads, trot- 

 ting, etc., and for the repair of the tissues. The degree of work 

 determines the amount of digestible nutrients needed. A horse 

 or mule doing light, medium or heavy work will require differ- 

 ent amounts and proportions of digestible nutrients. See Table 

 II. 



According to Massachusetts Experiment Station Bui. 99, the 

 requirements of food for horses may be summed up as follows : 



"i. The amount of food required is proportional to the amount 

 of work performed. 



"2. The amount of food required is also proportional to the 

 speed with which work is done. 



"3. More energy and consequently more food are required 

 by a horse when drawing a load at a trot, than at a walk. 



"4. Worry, confusion, fast driving and much stopping, sudden, 

 short and severe labor, all consume much energy and require 

 extra food. 



"5. Generally speaking it is believed that truck horses draw- 

 ing heavy loads slowly cJver good roads, require less food than 

 express or cab horses. 



"6. Horses doing severe work require more protein than those 

 engaged in light work. 



"7. The proportion of protein to carbohydrates (nutritive 

 ratio) required by horses doing moderate work should be about 

 I : 7 or 8, and for horses doing heavy work as i : 5 or 6." 



It has been previously remarked that a horse or mule cannot 

 consume as much roughage as ruminants. The stomach of a 

 horse is small and 10 to 14 lbs. of roughage is enough for a 

 day's ration. 



Oats is the best grain for horses. This feed is used to a large 

 extent in this country. The high cost of oats has sometimes 

 induced feeders to substitute other feeds. Oats may make up 



