Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-08-03
Care of Horse and Ok Teams.

MY horses, when I look after and drive
them myself, are always fat and in good
health, and do as much as any others and
so it is with mapy careful teamster or
master. The reason is, they never over
do" them. To exemplify this we will just
suppose it necessary to drive team,
hedolly loaded, two miles only, and that the
roads are bad. One driver does the dis
tance in three quarters of an hour, and the
team is not distressed; another does 1t IN
ten minutes or quarter of an hour less,
never breathing his horses, tearing along
the whole way, and the team reaches the
end blowing and sweating profusely, and
very probably quivering at the shoulder
and f1ank-in short, "over-done," and only
few minutes saved-all of which time,
and more, is consumed in recuperation,
and much more mischief done than could
be undone with a weeks care. Horses
and oxen, like ourselves, sometimes feel
unwell, but they are unfortunately unable
to tell us so. How often do we feel unable
to work quite as hard aud as freely one
day as We have been in the habit OF doing.
1t is true we suffer no great pain, and we
can eat pretty well but we do not feel
right, and work is a severe labor, and five
are forced on, serious illness is often the
consequence go it is with horse or OK
| teams. These are at times affected the
same way, and an observant owner or
| driver, who looks after the team himself,
| will quickly detect it, and ease their labor
| accordingly. From seemingly tritiing
symptoms unlikely to be noticed by any
| but the person always entrusted with the
animals), any such ailing will be al once
detected Twenty four hours care
| will probably see a material amendment,
and next day all will be rightas usual, pro-
vided the necessary care be used. If other
| wise treated, a week will often not
suffice to restore the balance Of health and
| appetite.
In this department much error has crept
| in. The habit of ignorant hired men is
often to make the time requisite for giving
the food to suit their own convenience
rather than the necessities or health OF
their horses. When brought to the stable,
| it is a common custom to first take the
| team to the water trough, and allow them
to distend their stomachs with an Immense
| quantity of well water. This is bad as
| can be. The horses want water, it is true,
but it is best to give only few mouthfuls
to refresh them, then give little hay, and
in quarter of an hour grain of any kind
can be given in almost any reasonable
quantities, without any chance Of injury.
After eating Water may be given with i'm
punity to any extent. Where horse teams
are employed jointly with a number OF
men, such as railroad work, or the like,
they must be fed and ready again to go to
work when the dinner hour is over; and
for this meal, under these circumstances
chopped hay and ground oats, slightly
moistened, form an admirable mixture.
prefer feeding it in this way TO teams al
all times and seasons, and am quite con
vinced that much saving is effected anC
injury to horses avoided. With this mix
ture horses may be fed with perfect safety
ii ever so heated, provided there is not toe
much grain among the hay.
: A very intelligent friend OF mine, who
used this kind of feed, always took nose
bags to the field with him, and gave hi
horses ten minutes feed and rest, at ,
medium interval between breakfast anC
dinner, and the same at about halfpas
four in the afternoon. No team did NOR,
work than his, or ON less feed.
Cavalry horses are always sparingly fe(
! both as to hay and oats, and any hors,
that cannot live on the regular allowances
is at once sold as cast horse" This
: however, very rarely happens. Generally
the feed, although scarcely more than hal
as much as is ordinarily fed, will amply
suffice to keep the animal in high healtl
and condition. Men snl teams often, anC
indeed generally, eat far more than il
absolutely requisite lor tnem; lney canno
assimilate such an immense quantity as il
sometimes given. A large portion of tn,
excess passes undigested through the ami
} NAL; or, if digested, unaSimilattd d
, Chemical analysis has proved this to b,
the case over and again. There is Ger
J tain demand made by the system for foo(
to supply the wear and. tear caused by
labor. When this is supplied, no more cal
be done. II the animal fail in condition
, rest or restoration to health is absolutely
necessary.-N H. Farmer,