52 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 
the part of the digestive organs of the horse. It is thus that, in 
fact, too much feed may make an animal poor. 
In selecting feed for the horse we should remember the anatomical 
arrangement of the digestive organs, as well as the physiological 
functions performed by each one of them. Feeds must be whole- 
some, clean, and sweet, the hours of feeding regular, the mode of 
preparation found by practical experience to be the best must be 
adhered to, and cleanliness in preparation and administration must. 
be observed. ; 
The length of time occupied by stomach digestion in the horse 
varies with the different feeds. Hay and straw pass out of the stom- 
ach more rapidly than oats. It would seem to follow, then, that oats 
should be given after hay, for if reversed the hay would cause the 
oats to be sent. onward into the intestines before being fully acted 
upon by the stomach, and as a result produce indigestion. Experi- 
ence confirms this. There is another good reason why. hay should be 
given first, particularly if the horse is very hungry or if exhausted 
from overwork, namely, it requires more time in mastication (insur- 
ing proper admixture of saliva) and can not be bolted, as are the 
grains. In either instance water must not be given soon after feed- 
ing, as it washes or sluices the feed from the stomach before it is fitted 
for intestinal digestion. 
The stomach begins to empty itself very soon after the commence- 
ment of feeding, and continues rapidly while eating. Afterwards 
the passage is slower, and several hours are required before the stom- 
ach is entirely empty. The nature of the work required of the horse 
must guide us in the selection of his feed. Rapid or severe labor can 
not be performed on a full stomach. For such labor feed must be 
given in small quantity and about two hours before going to work. 
Even horses intended for slow work must never be engorged with 
bulky, innutritious feed immediately before going to labor. The 
small stomach of the horse would seem to lead us to the conclusion 
that he should be fed in small quantities and often, which, in reality, 
should be done. The disproportion between the size of the stomach 
and the quantity of water drunk tells us plainly that the horse 
should always be watered before feeding. One of the common 
errors of feeding, and the one that produces more digestive disorders 
than any other, is to feed too soon after a hard day’s work. This 
must never be done. Ifa horse is completely jaded, it will be found 
beneficial to give him an alcoholic stimulant on going into the stable. 
A small quantity of hay may then be given, but his grain should be 
withheld for one or two hours. These same remarks will apply with 
equal force to the horse that for any reason has been fasting for a 
long time. After a fast, feed less than the horse would eat, for if 
allowed too much the stomach becomes engorged, its walls paralyzed, 
and “colic” is almost sure to follow. The horse should be fed 
