The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-04-14
Care OF Horses.

After about % years experience as
horse owner / undertake to set down u
little of my experience concerning the
management of that noble animal.
Commencing when the foal is day
or two old, / go to it, and pass my hands
down its face, along its back, and down
its legs to the hoofs, hind and fore, not
to mesmcrise or charm the animal, but
to accustom it to being handled, -
thing which cannot be commenced too
soon. Foals are animals that when
ouite young, have more sagacity, and
are more tractable and easily tauShe
than any other animal, so whatever you
want them TO learn, commence before
they are old enough to make resistance,
and depend upon it, they will never
forget it. Put halter on 1t, and lead
it about, but be careful not to let it
break away from you. Be very careful
and gentle to 1t, but show that you are
its master.
| next proceed to the horses feet.
Horses hoofs are things of the greatest
importance, for who would want to fol-
low a lame horse to either work or
pleasure. Many things ruiR the feet OF
horses, which cannot pretend TO tOuch
on, but will try to point ont u few CT
rors which any man can see aHd correct,
the greatest of which is leaving their
shoes OIL too long. This hurts the hoof,
strains the legs, and causes lamenesS
in every shape. In the winter this has
a worse effect than in summer, as then
the feet are more dry and clean, where
as in summer they are wet, and the mud
- nil hnDtS
and cause the shoe to fall off. have
known horses shoes nailed on IN the
fall, and not taken off until the next
summer, when they would fall off i'll the
pasture, practice which seldom fails to
to bring on laneness. \ horses shoe
should never be on longer than three
months, and two months are very often
too long.
Horses hoofs were meant by nature to
90 bare, and TuR en- the earth i'll their
natural state, and as we drive them on
such, they need no shooting; but when
we drive them on paved streets, hard
roads. ETC., we have to shoe them, and
step the wear that nature meant should
be on their hoofs. The consequence is
that the shoe binds the hOof, and eften
causes contraction and many other
evils, when nailed too far to the heel,
left on long, or when the hoOf is not
sufficiently pared down between shoe
inps. See that the shoe is not nailed
too far to the heel. Any intelligent
man can sea when u shoe has been on
long enough, and take it OFF, when it
may be left off day or two, or longer,
as the case may be. A drive over soft
snow few days blowing or narrowing,
or the like, would spread the foot and
help to counterfeit the effects of shoe
ing. Always see that the hoof is pro-
perly pared before the shoe is again put
on. / have never seen the boots of old
horses greatly improved by being left
bare few weeks in pasture. There are
many other things that hurt horses feet
as too poor feed, too high feed, too hard
driving.
The most natural feed for the horse is
what he can pick for himself, but as
we cannot let him run and pick his own
living, let his feed be as near natural as
possible. Too high or two low feed
have both O bad effect, but as different
individuals will fora Tery different no.
tions of what high and low feed are, l
will try and point out what / consider
the middle course 20 be. Hay alone, be
il ever so good, is not fit feed for horses,
whether working or idle. They need
grain, with an occasional feed of roots,
bran mash, or something to keep their
bowels open. Horses need regular feed.
The feed l generally find best for horses
is abont 10 pounds of hay and from nine
to twelve quarts of oats, given in three
Ia oelo mi nf 70
toes once q week, when idle, or at gen-
tie work; and small increase when at
hard work The practice of feeding
horses all the hay they can eat when
idle, has many bad effects; whereas i'll
they get three small feeds, they viii!
stamp about in the stall, and take exer-
else between feeds, which will keep
their legs from swelling, etc.
But remember, do not advocate
small feeds, of hay without grain. A
very cheap way of feeding horses, and
not bad way. is on straw, with fair
allowance of oats. / have tried great
many experiments, and have found
horses always do better on straw, than
horned cattle. Horses will do better on
straw provided it be good, than they
win on hay only, without grain in both
cases; but Of course they must not Do
stinted. The main point with farmer
who keeps horses, is to use them IN such
way as viii give them all the strength
and agility the animal is capable ct, and
to work them all they can stand without
injuring either. The poor, half starved
horse is an animal any man ought to be
ashamed of; but on the other hand, the
pampered and over-fed and half. worked I
horse, though he may look very nice to
some, is an animal 1 would advise the
farmer net TO keep, as such animals are
more lliable to loss than any other
Colonial Farmer.
4. r-r.a. - E.1 ,,,,hor .,f tba1