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PURE BRED DRAFT HORSES 
ter in moderate flesh. Then during the spring on hluegrass pasture they 
are fed corn generously, perhaps ten ears a day, so as to be gaining in 
flesh at the time of breeding. By this plan they get in foal much more 
promptly and surely. We never pasture timothy and clover in the spring, 
for the mares do not breed so well on anything but hluegrass. Those that 
have foals are left on the pasture all summer, and fed sufficient corn to 
keep them in strong flesh, but not fat. Oats are not so good for this pur¬ 
pose, as they are apt to cause colic in horses getting early summer grass. 
After August 1 we feed some oats. Mares that are not suckling foals are 
given no grain when on pasture. They are, however, usually put in the 
harness and worked through the season. 
“After the foals are weaned in October, and the milk-flow is dried up, 
the mares are turned on good pasture and fed five or six ears of corn and 
three quarts of oats apiece twice a day for sixty days, to build up their 
flesh in good shape for the winter. After that they get no grain until 
spring. During the winter they run on hluegrass pasture and second-crop 
timothy in the meadows, but are not allowed in stalk field. We are also 
careful to keep them out of oats stubble fields late in the fall, for frosted 
green oats cause abortion. Besides the grass from which they often paw 
the snow, the mares have free access to stacks of timothy hay, with just 
a sprlinkling of clover in it. Sometimes they are fed a little cane, but 
never any corn fodder. Fodder with the ears on is a dangerous feed for 
a band of mares, because at some time one of the mares is almost sure to 
get too much corn and lose her foal as a result. 
“The brood mares have no shelter in winter, other than the haystacks 
for a windbreak. They will crowd in quite closely and quietly around the 
stacks during a storm. When we have tried turning them to the sheds 
they at once begin to fight for a monopoly of the shelter. In that case, 
a big shed only protects the ‘boss’ mare anyway, and there is the danger 
besides of injury from kicking. The mares that run out all the time do 
not mind the cold. On some of the coldest nights they will be found far 
out in the field, and when the snow is deep they are out early, pawing 
away the snow to get at the grass beneath. The water tank for the mares 
has a heater which is kept burning all winter, so that they cannot become 
suddenly chilled by taking a big drink of icewater. We see to it that they 
come up to drink twice a day. Drinking cold water is more likely to 
cause a mare to lose her foal than exposure to a rain or snow storm, even 
with extreme cold weather immediately afterward.” 
9. The Foaling Mare and the New-Born 
Abortion 
The different systems of feeding in-foal mares a few days before and 
after parturition, while tending to purport the same end, yet the details 
hardly concur. Briefly stated, these may be given below: 
NAME OF FARMS 
Cornell University 
Chestnut Farms 
Gossard Breeding Estates 
FEEDING SYSTEM BEFORE AND AFTER 
FOALING 
The grain feed is cut off just before 
foaling and a hot bran mash is 
given instead. After foaling she is 
gradually put on ground feed. 
If the mare has not been pastured 
she is given very little hay and 
light feeding of a grain mixture of 
1 part of oats and 3 parts of bran. 
“Feed a few good bran mashes and 
let mare have plenty of exercise.” 
