528 A HISTORY OF THE PERCHERON HORSE 



should bisect equally the hock joint and the pastern 

 joint; 



"A stallion should have at least 5 miles of exer- 

 cise each day. Out of the breeding season the best 

 thing is to work him moderately. He should have 

 oats and corn enough to keep him always in good 

 condition. He should be given enough bran or 

 clover or alfalfa hay to keep his bowels in good 

 shape. I think it is a great mistake to try to get 

 a horse thin through starvation or lack of nourish- 

 ing food. The old adage, 'Put your trust in God, 

 and keep your bowels open,' works equally well 

 with men and horses. 



' ' Good brood mares should be feminine in appear- 

 ance. They should be longer in the backs and 

 broader in the hips and have more quality than 

 stallions. They should be worked and always should 

 be well fed. 



"Cleanliness and antiseptic conditions are essen- 

 tial at foaling time. If the mare's bowels are not 

 sufficiently loose from the feed and grass, epsom 

 salts should be given to make them so. The mare 

 should have a thoroughly clean box in which to foal. 

 If the season and conditions are right, the pasture 

 is just as good or better. The navel cord should 

 be immediately treated with iodine or something 

 similar in order to prevent infection. Just so soon 

 as the colt can eat it should be fed all that it can 

 handle in addition to his mother's milk. The dam 

 should be fed grain, in addition to the pasture, in 

 order to increase the flow of milk. 



"In developing the colts I would advise feed, more 

 feed, and still more feed, with oats if possible; oats 

 are the great developer of hard, clean, flinty bone. 

 If oats are not available, feed corn, and plenty of it. 

 For the first two years of its life a colt cannot be 



