ARTICLES USED AS FOOD FOR THE HORSE. 265 
mon expression, they keep the stomach longer. The horse can 
travel farther; he is not so soon exhausted. ‘‘I remember,'^ says 
Nimrod, hearing Mr. Hoare exclaim, as his hounds were settling 
to their fox, ‘ Now we shall see what horses eat old oats, and what 
eat new.’ I am inclined to think that this distinction may be 
applied to horses that eat beans, and those that eat none ; for they 
help to bring him home at the end of a long day, and support 
his strength in the run.” 1 believe Nimrod is quite right. In 
the coaching stables, beans are almost indispensable to horses 
that have to run long stages. They afford a stronger and more per¬ 
manent stimulus than oats alone, however good. Washy horses, 
those of slender carcass, cannot perform severe work without a 
liberal allowance of beans; and old horses need them more than 
the young. The quantity varies from three to six pounds per 
day ; but in some of the coaching stables the horses get more, 
a pound of oats being deducted for every pound of beans. Cart 
horses are often fed on beans, to the exclusion of all other corn; 
but they are always given with dry bran, which is necessary to 
keep the bowels open, and to ensure mastication. Beans are not 
in general use for race horses, but are sometimes given to bad 
eaters. They are usually split and hulled, which is a superfluous 
process. For old horses they should be broken or bruised. 
Some horses will not eat beans. The Irish horses when first 
brought to this country always refuse them ; they invariably pick 
out the oats and leave the beans. It does not appear that they 
dislike them, for after they begin they feed as well as other horses. 
Ultimately, they seem to discover that beans are for eating, 
although it is often along time ere they make the discovery. 
The horse, however, may soon be taught. Let him fast for an 
hour beyond the feeding-time, and then give him half a ration 
of beans without oats. If he still reject them, offer them split 
or broken, or moisten them, and sprinkle a little oatmeal over 
them, sufficient to make the beans white. If he still demur, put 
another horse, a hungry one, beside him, and he will soon teach 
his ignorant neighbour. 
liean-mealy or flour, is sometimes added to the boiled food ; 
but it is oftener given in the water, to cure the staling-evil. 
Bkka d.—I n former times it was customary to feed horses wdth 
bread, and the statute-book is said to contain several acts of 
Parliament relating to the manner of making it. Gervase Mark¬ 
ham, a very old author, says, horse-bread, w'hich is made of 
clean beans, clean peas, or clean fitches, feedeth exceedingly.” 
It is not many years since a bread composed of w heat, oats, bar¬ 
ley, and beans, ground and mixed in varying proportions, was 
used in the racing-stables. The bread was well baked, and 
