Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-08-10
Management Of Horses.

"A merciful man is merciful to his
beast runs the proverb, and at this
| season, it is not difficult to tell who the
| merciful men are During the harvest
period, as horses are indispensable and
| severe work is required of them, they
should be managed with care and con
sideration. In late Ohio Farmer, d.
L. Evans, Jr., has some suggestions
which are sensible and timely, as fol-
lows:
1T is no wonder that so many horses
are prematurely made old, for any 9th
er animal, under the same careless man
agement would soon show the bad effect
OF want Of care on the part Of the own
er. OF course it is necessary to know
how to treat horse, from having first
had experience. Under Indifferent
treatment the horse is liable to varie-
ty of diseases, but we cannot now give
space to an enumeration of them, nor
to get into details, even, of stable man
agement; the most we can do being to
point out some of the errors, the most
common ones, and to endeavcr to show
how they can be remedied.
eve sometimes see how pillow boys,
and men too, bring their horses in from
steady half days blowing and then
battle their legs with cold water to cool
them off. This is mistaken kindness
and is productive of great harm. The
same persons would be very particular
not to battle themselves while warm
with perspiration after hard and stea-
steady mornings or afternoon work,
for they we'll know that the per-
spiration would be checked too sud
denly and sickness would surely ensue.
The same would be the result, though
perhaps not Immediately apparent, with
horse treated similarly. Far better
let the horse cool off gradually in a
place free from draughts, after which
you can water him. This is rational
treatment and does not tend to injure
the animal, consequently is true kind
ness. Though often practiced, we most
heartily condemn the practice of water
ing horses intended for driving, immed-
lately after eating, as it tends to loosen
the animal considerably, and conse
quently weaken him. We much pre-
fer to water the horse before feeding,
or else let him stand in the stable some
time after he has eaten his grain food
before giving him water. This applies
more especially to driving horses than
to work horses And still another item
just here: Some persons think they
are doing kindness to horse by Civ
ing him an extra feed just before driv-
ing, to make him drive better. A horse
thus treated not only drives worse, but
is more apt to be hurt by a long and
sharp drive when the stomach IS over
loaded. Let man try to run short
distance or work hard right after a
hearty meal, and then he will be able to
appreciate the feelings of a horse.
These two practices are mistaken kind
| nessess, but forgetting or neglecting to
| cover horse we'll after a sharp drive,
or when he is warmed up from a long
drive and then exposed to a chilling
wind is cruel neglect of duty well
known to every horseman. Yet how
| often do you see men do this and yet
| complain, ere long, that the horse does
not wear we'll 1t is a wonder that I'M
| der such careless treatment they wear
at all. A very good thing Tor work
| horses, when they come in from the
field covered with sweat, is to have
them vigorously rubbed down with dry,
coarse wheat straw By the time they
are we'll rubbed down they are cool
enough to be watered, after which they
can be fed on usual grain food. This
takes but little time and should be the
duty of every plowman. In starting off
for drive, especially for long drive,
do not start off from home on brisk
trot as some foolish persons do, but
start off moderately, even slowly, till
the horse gets settled well, after which
he will be capable of travelling better
and faster, with less fatigue, than if
started away on a swinging trot, as he
is done by those who are not fit to have
a horse Starting off rapidly just fresh
from the stable, when the animal is full
of feed has done more to engender dis
ease than perhaps any other thing and
soon wears even good horse out very
| soon.
There are very many more items
which we should like to comment upon,
| but will have to reserve them till anOth-
er time, but trust that what we have al
ready written may be the means of bet
tering in some degree at least, the treat
| ment of our horses.