336 MANAGEMENT AND BREEDING OF HORSES 



a dry to a watery diet. Sometimes a sudden change in- 

 duces constipation, as a change from pasture to a dry 

 ration. Such changes often overtax the digestive sys- 

 tem to such an extent that it is permanently weak€ned, 

 as when horses unaccustomed to grain are too quickly 

 put on full feed. If the changes are made gradually, the 

 system can digest without risk quantities of newly- 

 ingested food that would have produced serious digestive 

 disorders or derangements had they been given at first. 

 Preparation of food.— The food of farm horses and' 

 other horses at moderate work need receive little atten- 

 tion. Such animals have ample time to masticate and 

 digest their food. On the other hand, work horses that 

 are taxed to the limit of their endurance should have all 

 grains ground and some of their hay cut or chopped. 

 Foods thus prepared are more thoroughly and rapidly 

 masticated and perhaps more thoroughly digested, es- 

 pecially the ground grain. Long hay should be supplied 

 the animal, to be consumed at leisure. As hay is always 

 more or less dusty, it should be fed in such a manner as 

 to cause the horse the least annoyance. Moistening or 

 sprinkling the hay with water is the simplest way of 

 reducing this trouble. Of course, dusty hay should be 

 avoided whenever possible. 



'^Salting the horse. — Salt in limited quantities should be 

 kept before the horse at all times. It is not best to place 

 too much before him at a time, as some horses will eat it 

 to excess, thus creating an abnormal thirst, and if given 

 sufficient water may result in digestive disorders. Do 

 not put the salt in the feed, as this practice often results 

 in derangement of the digestive organs. 

 ,_/l'"ood required to grow a horse. — The cost of raising a 

 colt has been a much-discussed question, and the es- 

 timates vary widely. This variation in estimated cost 

 is due largely to the conditions. In some cases, the cost 

 has been estimated by considering the food at the market 

 value, in other cases at the value on the farm, and in still 



