CHAPTER XXXIII 

 PRACTICAL HORSE FEEDING 



In seeking to improve our horses, we must not under- 

 estimate the importance of generous feeding. Breeding 

 and selection make success possible, but will fail unless 

 we provide a sufficient supply of the most suitable foods 

 to the horse at all ages and stages of development. 

 Horse feeding is essentially different from the feeding 

 of other farm animals. Because of the small s\ze of the 

 digestive organs a relatively small quantity of roughage 

 and a correspondingly large amount of grain is de- 

 manded. Further, the kind of work to which horses are 

 put calls for the least possible load in the digestive 

 organs. 



Regularity of feeding. — The horse should be fed regu- 

 larly and uniformly at all times. He anticipates the hour 

 of feeding and becomes nervous if it is long delayed. He 

 neighs and coaxes for his food with great regularity, and 

 his system becomes accustomed to a certain order that 

 must be followed. Sudden changes, even for a single 

 meal, may produce more or less digestive disturbance. 

 The working horse should be fed often, as undue fasting is 

 followed by taking an excessive supply of food or by eat- 

 ing too rapidly, either of which are likely to result in 

 digestive disorders. 



Order of supplying grain, hay and water. — As the 

 stomach of the horse is not large enough to hold the 

 entire meal, the order of supplying grain, hay and water is 

 of much importance. It is stated that the stomach of the 

 horse must fill and empty itself two or three times for 

 each meal. During the fore part of the meal the material 

 is pushed into the small intestines almost as soon as it 

 enters the stomach by the food which follows, while to- 



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