Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-12-11
Care OF Horses.

Mr.. VIM. Horne says nIIistorv
shows that after ten years old. All
things being equal, horses are cana.
BILE OF the greatest performances. A
horse bred sound. ard properly
used should be 10 HE prime at about
twelve years of age. The
werst age for a gelding is five years
old; be is thinner, weaker, and
more liable to disease, than at any
other sge, according to ny long
practical experience.
| am glad 10 see this recorded, as
1t agrees so exactly with my own
observation and experience. The
msjority OF the owners of horseflesh
are not aware of the great amount
Of ssrsice horse is capable OF rem.
deriDg, if properly treated. Instead
of giving out 1T about fifteen years
old, be may be made to do good
work twice that number of years.
II mettlesome animal, all of his
powers will be employed, and his
muscles are liable 10 be unduly
tasked when young, resulting in
soreness and suffness and constitu.
tional hurt. Some horses are thus
treated habitualIy. They are of
course short.lived, and loss to the
owner, yielding but small profit
on their keep, and loss Of the
original cost. Such are the extreme
cases. But take the general run,
and we fiud more or less of strain.
ing, occurring not often, but coca.
sionslly, as necessity seems to re-
quire. 1t is thought that occasional
effort OF this kind will not result in
harm, or at least not seriously. II
is not considered that the harm is
all the greater. the strain moro dis
aiding 10 it's effect, on account Of the
rareness of the occurrence. Serious
results are thus oeeasioned with
high animals. Now the ex-
cess of work thus secured is very
little, and of little value--in no way
portionate to the harm. Mo-
unfreqnently the work ia expedited
by lessening the load, and going of
tener.
Here is tho error: The benefit de-
rived from violent efforts Cif any
there be, which on thu whole is
doubtfulD is far out of proportion to
the loss sustained 10 the animals
capacity. aud the shortening of his
wears. This is so much the case
that the horse at fifteen years has
become condemned animal having
passed out of market. Aud yet at
this age, If well treated, he is still
IN his best condition for service.
Tho marc usually arrives at her
maturity sooner than the gelding,
say at elk; while the gelding re-
quires q year or two more, continu-
ing to spread out and develop his
strength gill his eighth year. From
colthooG up to this time, he requires
careful treatment. If substantial,
serviceable animal ia to be made of
him. And this attention is not to
be intermitted, but continued, to
keep good what was made good,
which can now be done with little
trouble. Avoid the temptation OF
seeing the capacity OF your horse
for endurance or moving heavy
loads, PIT to the test. BY doing
this. you will further avoid putting
your horse into highly sweating
condition, so plentiful OF evil in its
consequences. An even tonor pro-
duces an even and unimpaired appe
tite. with less tendency TO develop
ing ailments. Horses arc abused
and the abuse is widespread and
common. Much of this il owing to
i. norance; much, also, TO the tenn.
per of the owner or handler OF the
horse Could the aggregate loss 10
consequences be seen, it would make
one stagger, TO say nothing of the
inhumanity.-F G.. in Country Gen
1emdn.