348 Western Live-stock Management 



and is a very good feed for keeping the bowels open. 

 Good, bright clover mixed with some timothy makes a 

 most satisfactory hay. Plenty of it should be fed, as it 

 will make belly on the horses. Care should be taken that 

 it does not have dust with it, or it may injure the wind. 

 In some sections alfalfa will form the main portion of the 

 hay ration and when fed, very little wheat bran will be 

 needed. It is advisable to feed as much barley as is 

 safe, since it is somewhat more fattening in its general 

 nature than oats. It should not comprise the entire 

 grain ration, as it is hard to condition the horses on barley 

 alone. 



Horses being fitted for the market are seldom given, 

 exercise until a few days before they are shipped unless 

 their legs show some filling. As a substitute for exercise, 

 and in order to keep the blood in good condition and to 

 prevent stocked legs, many use Glauber salts. These 

 salts are fed twice a week mixed with the grain feed. 

 Others use oil meal for largely the same purpose. It is a 

 well-recognized fact that oil meal will aid in getting the 

 skin and hair in good condition. Horses that are being 

 fitted for show purposes instead of sale should be given 

 a proper amount of exercise, since in the show yard it is 

 especially important that their legs be clean and show no 

 tendency toward filling. Show horses will also be fed 

 much longer than market horses, and unless the proper 

 amount of exercise is given, they will put their flesh on 

 too soft. Before any horses are shipped, they should be 

 given exercise for a few days. This will eliminate the 

 possibility of azoturia. Horses are seldom curried 

 throughout the entire feeding period, but this is done very 

 thoroughly just previous to shipping time. As a horse 

 becomes fat the dandruff and scurf of the skin will work 



