STABLIKG, FEED AND CAEE. 129 



rubbed down. This stimulates the circulation, and opens the pores 

 of the skin. 



Kindness with the family horse is of the utmost importance. 

 Always cultivate an acquaintance, and be on social and friendly 

 terms with him. If he is tired and worn out, it is astonishing how 

 these little attentions will encourage and cheer him up. When not 

 in use he should be given a reasonable amount of daily exercise. No 

 animal will do well without exercise. It promotes a good action of 

 the hmbs, and assists digestion. The harness should be made to 

 fit, thus avoiding chafes and bruises. In cold weather the lips and 

 tongue of the horse may be made very sore by contact with the 

 frozen bit. The bit should always be w^armed bef oi-e being placed 

 in the horse's mouth. Flies are very annoying to horses, and the use 

 of the net, or some preparation that will keep the flies away, is well 

 repaid. 



Horses in a state of nature do not require any protection for the 

 hoof. But, in connection with labor and artificial roads, domestica- 

 tion alters more or less the conditions on which the horse depends 

 for the hoof's integrity as an efficient protection to the lining and 

 extremely sensitive parts it encloses. ^ A horse would not be able to 

 travel long on our artificial roads without some protection to the 

 hoof. The art of shoeing is not practised by as skillful workmen as 

 necessity demands. Shoes allowed to remain on too long are often 

 the source of serious foot diseases. 



Care in driving is of the greatest importance. How often do we 

 see an animal driven until wet with perspiration, and dotted with 

 foam, standing without blanket or protection of any kind from the 

 cold northern winds ! When in such condition, he evidently suffers 

 intensely ; besides the danger of contracting diseases from which 

 he wfll never recover. If any law on our statute book should be 

 more rigidly enforced, it is the one against fast driving. A case of 

 a family horse — a noble animal— has just come to the writer's notice. 

 The animal was taken with kidney disease, caused, the veterinarian 

 said, by overdriving, ending in three days in lockjaw and death. 

 Blankets should always be provided in cold weather, so that the 

 horse wiU dry without chiUing. Protect him from drafts when 

 warm, and either rub down, or let him stand in a stable where cold 

 air cannot strike him. 



The family horse is especially worthy of the best of care, for no 

 other domestic animal so readily responds to kind treatment. "A 

 righteous man regardeth the life of his beast." 



