MANAGEMENT OF THE FOAL 83 
must at no time be in such a condition as to render the milk injurious to 
the foal. 
“Most breeders advise leaving the colt in the stable while the dam is 
at work, but others allow the colt to follow the dam to the field. The 
objection to the former method is that unless the mare is returned at 
least once during each half day the colt becomes very hungry and when 
the mare comes to him sweating he gorges himself on the milk with 
which the udder is distended. This milk is often rendered injurious by 
the heated condition of the mare, and it thus becomes a cause of serious 
digestive disorder, especially when so much is taken. It is a good thing 
to encourage the colt, as it grows older, to take a few oats, preferably 
crushed, from its mother’s allowance, or a creep may be especially con¬ 
structed for the foal to feed in. If two mares and foals are allowed to¬ 
gether, the youngsters will form an attachment for each other which 
will prove of great service in reconciling them to the weaning process.” 
2. Raising the Orphan Foal 
Alexander, 100 in presenting a system by which orphan foals may be 
raised, writes: “Choose the milk of a cow that has recently calved, pre¬ 
ferably one which gives milk low in butter fat, for mare’s milk while 
rich in sugar, is poor in fat. Sweeten the milk with molasses or sugar 
and dilute with warm water. Give a little of this modified milk, from a 
scalded vessel, at short intervals. Add an ounce of lime water to each 
pint of the prepared milk and allow half a cupful once an hour at first. 
“As the foal grows, gradually increase the amount of milk fed and 
lengthen the intervals between meals. In a few days food may be given 
six times a day and, later, four times daily. The foal will soon learn to 
drink from a pail, if allowed to suck the attendant’s fingers at first. 
Keep the milk utensils scrupulously clean. 
“Until the bowels move freely, give rectal injections night and morn¬ 
ing. If the foal scours at any time give the treatment ... on dia¬ 
rrhoea, and stop feeding milk for two or three meals, allowing sweetened 
warm w r ater and lime water instead. Let the foal eat oatmeal as soon as 
it cares to do so and gradually increase the amount and add wheat bran. 
In five or six weeks some sweet, skim milk may be given and the amount 
gradually increased daily until, in three months or so, it may be given 
freely three times a day in place of new milk. The foal at this age will 
be eating freely of grass, grain, and bran. 
“Supply pure water as soon as the foal cares to drink. Let the foal 
run out in a lot or grass paddock for exercise. Accustom it to be handled 
daily. Feed small quantities of nutritious food often, keeping all food 
vessels clean, and the foal should thrive and develop well . . . Prac¬ 
tically half of the full weight of a horse is gained during the first 12 
months of its life. If stunted during this period the colt never develops 
properly; it therefore pays to feed generously.” 
Johnstone’s 5 desideratum in regard to orphan foal management fol¬ 
lows: “In rearing a very young orphan foal get the milk of as fresh a 
cow as possible and the poorer in butter fat the better. Do not use 
Jersey milk for this purpose. Take a dessert spoonful of the best white 
granulated sugar and add enough warm water to dissolve it. Then add 
three tablespoonfuls of lime water and enough new milk to make a pint. 
A costless apparatus for feeding the foal is thus contrived: Get an old 
teapot and scald it thoroughly. Over the spout tie securely the thumb 
of an old kid glove, and with a darning needle pierce holes in the kid. 
Warm the milk to blood heat, pour a part of it into the teapot, and when 
it flows through the spout into the glove thumb, an excellent imitation of 
the maternal teat will be formed, which the foal will suck promptly. Let 
him have half a teacupful every hour at first. It is a bothersome chore, 
but it must be done. If scours supervene, give a dose of two ounces of 
