MANAGEMENT OF THE FOAL 
81 
on a ‘creep’ should be built in the stall or pasture, inside of which the 
foal can be supplied with grain without having to share it with its 
mother ... A handful of ground oats should be given at first, and 
the quantity should be increased slowly as the foal grows. The maximum 
amount should be about 1 pound a day till weaning time.” 
McCampbell 03 states that “If the mare is worked, the colt should be 
left in a cool, dark stall during the day. For the first few weeks the 
mare should be brought to the barn and the colt allowed to suckle in 
the middle of the forenoon and the middle of the afternoon, as well as at 
morning, noon and evening. The colt should be left with the mare at 
night. Encourage the colt to eat as soon as possible, preferably crushed 
oats with bran. If oats are not available, the following ration may be 
substituted: crushed corn, four parts; bran, three parts; linseed meal, 
one part; these proportions being by weight. Let the colt have alfalfa 
or clover hay as soon as he will eat it. See that he has access to clean, 
pure water at all times, if possible.” McCampbell also remarks that “If 
the mare and the foal are running in the pasture, a ‘creep’ should be 
made where the colt can have access to grain. To raise high-class horses 
one must feed them liberally and keep them continually growing and 
developing from the very first . . . The stunted colt never fully re¬ 
covers. The feed and the care a colt gets during the first year and a 
half of its life determine largely what that colt will be at maturity.” 
In an elaborate manner Johnstone 5 presents the procedure by which 
the management and feeding of the new-born may be carried out, and 
writes: “During the closing period of its fetal existence there collects 
in the intestines of the foal the fecal substance known as meconium. 
This must be gotten rid of shortly after birth and usually is, the milk in 
the mare’s udder at parturition, known as colostrum, having an aperient 
action ... Its chief peculiarity physically is that its fat globules are 
very large. Its aperient action is due, probably, to its long retention in 
the udder and to the milk fermentive process which has been going on in 
it for some little time prior to its withdrawal. The milk which is secret¬ 
ed within an hour after the withdrawal of the colostrum has no aperient 
action to speak of, and hence it is believed that the action so necessary 
to the foal is derived from some principal evolved during the retention 
of the colostrum in the udder, which sets up a mild form of indigestion 
and so induces the peristaltic action of the bowels which removes the 
meconium. 
“If the foal gets his first hold on the maternal dug within an hour 
from birth, that will be all right. Usually the meconium will pass away 
easily within five or six hours, but sometimes it will not. If it does not 
come within twenty-four hours and the foal presents a droopy, listless 
appearance, eye not bright, ears lopped over, then the first thing to be 
done is to give him two ounces of castor oil. In five hours more relief 
will usually have been gained and the appearance of the youngster will 
change greatly for the better. Peristaltic action will be caused and the 
fecal matter will be removed. At the time of administering the castor 
oil give also an injection of water at blood heat and a little glycerine— 
a teaspoonful of glycerine and enough of the warm water to make two 
ounces—not more. Inject this gently into the rectum with a common 
two-ounce hard rubber syringe and go slow. This will lubricate the pass¬ 
age and induce the foal to endeavor to pass the fecal matter. The me¬ 
conium is in such cases a yellowish, rather hard, waxy substance. If 
given as directed the injection cannot do any harm and may be repeated 
every hour. 
“There is, of course, no digestive action in the new-born foal. The 
entrance of something into the stomach is necessary to start the ma¬ 
chinery into motion. If this is not affected by the colostrum, there is 
nothing so good as castor oil and the injection described. Never try to 
