28 
PURE BRED DRAFT HORSES 
amount of feed required by them. Nevertheless, it is pointed out that 
keeping the stallion in good flesh is satisfactory, avoiding the “hog fat" 
condition. Most horsemen, he says, are in favor of letting the horse be 
gaining a bit during the breeding season and not come down in flesh. No 
more should be fed than what will be cleaned promptly, whether he is fed 
three or four times a day. He gives several combinations of feed which 
prove satisfactory in practice, thus: 
1. Oats; timothy or prairie hay. 
2. Oats, 4; corn, 6; and, bran 3 parts by weight; timothy or prairie hay. 
3. Oats, 4; corn, 6; linseed meal, 1 part; timothy or prairie hay. 
4. Corn, 7; bran, 3; linseed meal, 1 part; timothy or prairie hay. 
5. Corn; alfalfa hay one-third and prairie hay two-thirds. 
8. Housing and Care 
According to Henry and Morrison, 53 the stallion’s stall should be near 
those occupied by other horses because a horse enjoys companionship. 
Kennedy 60 is likewise of the opinion that the stallion’s stall should not 
be isolated lest the stallion may become vicious and develop the habits 
of masturbating and cribbing. He recommends the construction of a 
special stallion barn, if there are a number of them kept on the farm, 
while if only one is to be housed the stall should be located in the 
regular horse barn. He further says that the stallion should be kept in 
a roomy box stall, not less than fourteen by fourteen feet, of solid con¬ 
struction and with smooth walls. Adjoining the box stall should be a 
large paddock where the stallion may exercise. It should be roomy and 
fenced high and strong enough. It is brought out that some favor the 
use of a small feed-box for grain with a slatted hay-rack high up, all in 
one corner, while in some barns, the use of a smooth manger across the 
corner of the stall is preferred. The latter eliminates the presence of 
sharp edges. No opening in front of the manger should be provided for 
because the stallion is liable to hurt himself in getting his head out 
through it. The walls should slope about a foot from the bottom as this 
will prevent the stallion from rubbing his tail. 
Gay 4 recommends also the use of a boxstall opening into a paddock, 
and with the doors fastened at the back for keeping the stallion. The 
fences surrounding the paddock or pasture should be at least four and 
one-half feet high and strong. The material and construction should be 
such that horses will not be cut or injured. He considers rails and posts 
as perhaps the most satisfactory to be had. Four rails are indicated as 
necessary on the fence. If barbed wire is to be employed only one strand 
is required, which should occupy the top of the fence and should be kept 
tight. 
According to Dimon, 40 the stallion boxstall may be 14 by 14, or 15 by 
15, or 16 by 16 feet, but it should not be less than 12 by 14 feet. There 
must be one door four feet wide and eight feet high, and to be thorough¬ 
ly riveted and made double so as to be strong. This should hang on 
three hinges. Also one window big enough to admit sufficient light 
should be provided for, but the location and construction must be such 
that drafts are absent. From the floor to a height of four or five feet 
the entire inside of the stall, save the door, should be wainscoted with 
one and one-half or two-inch plank. The feed-box needs to be broad so 
as to prevent bolting the feed. The paddock should be 50 by 100 or 40 by 
60 feet and not too large. The fence should at least be seven feet high. 
The boards should be nailed on the inside of the stringers and posts and 
no space should be left underneath where the stallion may slip his feet 
through. 
Sanders 46 desires a box stall not less than 12 by 18 feet with a box 
snugly placed in the corner for the grain, but a hay rack or manger is 
