The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1882-10-12
for the ,faraler.
FEEDING HORSES

. In determining the proper feeding of n horse.
says the Ameioda Cuitrator, the character ami
| amount of work to be performed by the animal
are important factors in the problem 1t is quite
probable that horses are injured as much by in
judieious and excessive feeding as by any lack
| of provender. Many valuable horse which
perhaps, has been accustomed to an hour or
twos drive each day at most, often standing in
the stable for days in succession, and fed as if
he were doing n full days work each day is in
iured by an unthinking driver who handles she
| animal rs though there was neither limit TO his
speed nor endurance. Frequently the reason as
signed for such 4 hard drive is that the horse
has been standing idle for q week and needs ex-
ercise, which Is the very reason why moderate
driving at the commencement should be the rule
An over-fed, npder-worked horse is no match
either In speed or endurance for the animal that
| is regularly driven every day, and fed with mod
| Grafton and judgment. The same is true of the
dranght horse that Is not in regular use; he
| gets out Of condition for the hard, laborious
work so easily performed by the horse that is in
harness every day.
The matter of feeding horses demands the
| most careful consideration. We are told that
the horses of the East are fed mainly upon bar
| ley; and IL is popular idea with English Off
| GERS, who have lived in Persia and Syria, that
the change of food from barley to oats often,
| when imported, produced blindness in Arab
| horses. II true that any large percentage of
such horses do lose their eycsight we shonld at
| tribute il rather to the change of climate than
| to the change of food. For muscular exertion
barley is not the best food for horses, since it
does not contain the flesh, bone and muscle pro-
| ducing elements which are prominent in oats.
Englishmen feed their hunting and racing hors-
| es and also those driven upon the road. with n
| mixed ration of oats and beans, the best food
| for sustaining the animal under severe tests of
speed and endurance. Such food however, is
| apt TO heat the blood and produce costiveness
demanding the closest attention of the groom,
and necessitating occasional feelings of boiled
liuseed or bran NASH both Of which also COM
bne muscle-producing properties to large de-
gree. The aim of the feeder is to keep his horses
| in such condition that they may be ready at all
times to exhibit their highest speed or their
| greatest endurance. For such desirable condi-
ton regular exercise is necessary as regular
| feed, and horse of high spirit should no more
be allowed to stand in the stable during a whole
| day without taking trOt or canter of a few
| miles, than he should pass the day without his
| customary rations.
Food adapted to the production of bone and
| muscle is as important to the farm horse and the
city dray horse as to the hunter the roadster OF
| the race-hOrse. The former requires as good
care as the latter where the best results are de-
| sired. Common usage places the feeding of In
| dian meal above that of oats for horses yet corn
gives less muscle than oats and little more than
| barley, while the heat and fat producing ele-
| ments in corn are greater than in barley or even
| in oats. The practice of providing horses with
cut feed, so universal few years ago, is less in
vogue AT present, long nay ana whole grain De-
| ing considered the more natural food for horses.
Whether the one or the other should be fed de-
| ponds much upon the character of the work in
| which the animal is to be employed. Where the
| horse is not taken ont of the stable until the
middle of the forenoon, and thus given plenty of
time for the masticatiOn of his food the long hay
| and whole grain would undoubtedly form the
most desirable ration, but where the horse is fed
at six o'clock in the morning and must 20 upon
| the road at seven, cut feed is certainly best. At
| noon the animal can be fed with oats which
| are improved by crushing At night these hard
| worked horses may he fed with oats and hay,
unless when very late and the animals very
| tired then a supply of cnt feed will permit of an
early completion of their supper, and an earlier
| lying down to rest.
| Long hay generally contains more or less dust
and when fed to horses frequently causes them to
cough, sometimes seriously affecting their breath
| ing. To remedy this difficulty the hay should
be sprinkled with little water an hour or so
before the time of feeding, or that which is i'll
tended for mornings feed may be sprinkled the
| night before. while the evening feed may be
slightly wet down the previous morning. 0cca-
sionally little salt may be dissolved in the wa
| ter to the advantage of the animal. A small
quantity of linseed meal mixed with the horses
| cut feed has good effect, generally producing
| a fine, glossy coat. English jockeys, when put
| ting up horse for sale after a severe hunting
| season, add pound and half of oil cake to his
| ordinary food. 1t helps on the change to the
| new coat by making him fat. horse in low
| condition changes his coat slowly. Bran is n
valuable food for occasional when mixed
with cut feed. Made into mashes it has cool
ing and laxative effect, but used dry, OF in ex-
cess, il is apt to form stony seeretions in the
hore lie of he