Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 November 1879 — Care and Feed of Horses. [ARTICLE]

Care and Feed of Horses.

The following embrace extracts from a lecture by J. Stores, V. S., before an English farmers’ club: How must horses be treated that they may be able to perform a certain amount of work without injury to their system? In the first place they must have food; in the second plaic they must have grooming, and in the third place they must have good stabling. In regard to food, of all animals the horse, in comparison to its size, has the smallest stomach; it is, therefore, of great importance that his food should contain as much nutriment as possible in the smallest bulk; more especially when undergoing hard work. Hay and oats have this qualification to a greater degree than any other of the feeding stuns in general use, and that they should form the staple food has been proved by long experience. Bruised oats are very suitable for old horses and those that bolt their com, but beyond this they have nothing specially to recommend them. The average quantity of oats required to keep a horse undergoing hard work in good condition is about twenty pounds per day. Of course some horses would eat more. Others can not be induced to consume more than fourteen pounds. Drivers of contractors’ horses are practically aware of the fact that the more they can get their horses to eat the more work they will do. But the result of overworking is the premature death of many valuable animals.

Indian com may be advantageously used in the proportion of one to six; the only objection to it is that it causes toipidity of the bowels. This must be counteracted by giving an equal proEortion of bran. Beans, but for their eating tendency, would form a very suitable adjunct to oats, as they contain a large proportion of nutritive material. They may be safely given to animals that are hard wrought and upward of seven years. A horse cannot be maintained in health on grain alone; the stomach requires a certain amount of mechanical distension to keep it acting properly. Hay or straw serves this purpose. The ordinary allowance should be about twenty pounds per day; something like five pounds in the morning, five pounds at midday, and ten pounds at night. A few years ago chopped hay came greatly into vogue; but the principal argument in its favor was that the bad hay was eaten along with the good. This tells seriously against the plan, as a horse is certainly better without bad hay in its stomach than with it. All kinds of straw are inferior to hay, oats being the only variety that should be used; it does well when horses are idle, as they are not so liable to get into too high condition on it. Green foliage is well suited to horses in its season; then the work is light, and they appear to thrive on it. It must be given in moderation, especially at first, as horses are so fond of it that they soon eat more than is good for them. Carrots, turnips and potatoes require to be given with equal discrimination; indeed, I am inclined to condemn the use of potatoes entirely, although I have known instances where horses were allowed as many as they could eat with-

out bad results, but such cases are the exception and not the rule. Cooked food is used by many horse-owners with more or less advantage, the great objection to it being that it fattens without giving strength and firmness to the muscles. It is also apt to be bolted without proper mastication, which is a common cause of colic and indigestion. For a horse recovering from any debilitating disease, or for one coming off a long jom-nep, it is of great benefit if given judiciously. To make a regular Eractice of feeding with it every day, owever, is unnatural, and, I believe, highly injurious. It is a common practice to give a feed of it every Saturday night for the purpose of keeping the bowels in order. Three-fourths of a pailful of mashed bran would serve the purpose better without the risk of deranging the bowels. This is a most necessary adjunct in horse feeding, and should be given regularly once a week. It acts mechanically on the lining membrane of the stomach, increases the secretion, and thereby averts constipation. As already stated, the stomach or receptacle for solid food is very small; the caecum or receptacle for water is quite the opposite. It is not uncommon to see a horse drink two or three pailsful of water at a time. It is, therefore, probable that he does not require it often. Three times a -day is sufficient, provided the horse is allowed as much as he will drink. In cases where he is excessively hot or exhausted, or where he has been kept without water for an undue length ot time, it should be given in smaller quantities, and more frequently. It is a great and very common error to allow horses water after being fed. •In its passage through the stomach it is sure to carry with it some of the undigested food, which ought never to reach the intestines, and will probably cause colic or indigestion. Grooming, or cleanliness of the skin, is not a mere matter of glossy or staring coat; it is essential to the health of domesticated animals. When it is borne in mind that the skin is one of the principal organs by which refuse matter is thrown off from the body, the necessity of keeping the pores or little drains clear will oe apparent. When they become silted up. the lungs and kidneys are overtasked, and hence diseases of both these organs. Washing the legs is the cause of much harm to all horses. It ehecks circulation and causes greater evils than the mud and sand which it is intended to remove.