Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-07-12
Stable Management.

It is no wonder that so many horses
are prematurely made old, for any other
animal under the same careless manage
ment, would soon show the bad effect of
want of care on the part of the owner. Of
course it is necessary to know how to treat
horse, from having first had experience.
Under indifferent treatment the horse is
liable 20 a variety of diseases, but we can
not now give space to an enumeration of
them, nor to get into details, even, of
stable management; the most we can do
being to point out some of the errors, the
most common ones, and to endeavor to
show how they can be remedied.
We sometimes see 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 pro-
ductive of great harm. The same persons
would be very particular not to battle
themselves while warm with perspira-
ton after hard and steady mornings or
afternoons work, for they we'll know that
the perspiration would be checked too
suddenly, and sickness would ensue. The
same would be the result, though, per-
haps, not Immediately apparent, with a
horse treaty similarly. Far better let the
morse 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, conse-
quently is true kindness. Though often
practiced, we most heartily condemn the
practice of watering horses intended for
driving, Immediately after eating, as it
tends to loosen the animal considerable,
and consequently weaken him. We
much prefer 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 ap-
plies more especially to driving horses
than to work horses And still another
item just here: Some persons think
they are doing kindness to a horse by
giving him an extra feed just before
driving, 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
overloaded. Let a man try to run short
distance or work hard right after hearty
meal, and then he will be able to appre-
ciate the feelings of a horse These two
practices are mistaken kindnesses, but
forgetting or neglecting to cover horse
well after a sharp drive, or when he is
warmed up from long drive and then
exposed to chilling wind, is cruel neg
lect of a duty well known to every horse
man. Yet how often do you see men DO
this, and yet complain, ere long, that the
horse does not wear well. 1t is a wonder
that under such careless treatment they
wear at all.
A .very good thing fer 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 well rubbed down
they will be 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 a 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 becomes 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 Is done by
those who are not fit to have horse; start
ing off rapidly, just fresh from the stable,
when the animal is full of feed, has done
more to engender disease than perhaps any
other thing, and wears even good horse
out very soon.-D. T. Eoans, Jr., in OHIO
Farmer.