The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-05-12
Ventilation, Exercise and Grooming.

Daily grooming (Which means curry
combing, brushing, busting off and
wiping) is essential to the keeping of
horses in health, and it ought to be at
tended to in a proper manner. 1t is by
neglect of it that a variety of diseases
are produced, such as grease, scratches,
mango, swelled legs, itching of the tail
and name, etc. Grooming should al
ways be performed thoroughly, and we
should recommend that the legs and
extremities are the first parts to be at
tended to, and that they should not, as
regular practice, be washed with cold
water, or, if occasionally they are so,
that the greatest attention be paid to
their being Immediately dried and
rubbed warm. Neglect of this point is
another fruitful source of grease, swelled
legs, shiverings, fever, collie, etc. But
whatever the system of grooming is,
make yourself master of it, and you will
be able to trace many an obscure dis
ease to its proper cause-neglect in
some particular In this connection we
would say that, where. the racks and
managers are of wood, they should be
well cleaned once or twice week; for
there is always collection of sour bran,
dust and dirt that ought to be removed.
Musty or mow-burnt hay will usually
produce profuse urinating, and the ami
NAL will often waste away rapidly, sweat
easily, appear weak, orlose constitution,
before the real cause is ascertained.
When hay is bad some portion will be
found left in the rack, or wasted. When
it is good this is seldom the case, unless
too large quantities are given. When
horses bolt their feed, or quid their hay,
their teeth should be examined, as in
young horses, at the period of dentition,
it very often proceeds from the irritation
of teething, and in all old ones it fire.
quently arises from the wearing away of
the grinders to sharp edge.
In order to keep horse in health,
attention to exercise is highly necessary.
In winter, it is best to trot horses as
exercise, instead of walking. Sweating
exercise should not be given too late in
the autumn or too early in the spring
In both cases it will have bad effect on
the appearance Of the horse, as their
coats during the ensuing season will be
patched and wiry. Sweating exercise
in fine weather, when the coats are
changing, is very useful and necessary;
but when the weather is bleak and cold
it should be avoided, as it checks the
shedding of the coat.
Ventilation is of the highest import
ance with regard to health, and this re-
fers to all kinds of live stock. No uni
versal plan of ventilation can be sug-
gested, as it will always depend on the
state of the atmosphere, the number of
horses in the stable, and many other
circumstances; consequently the plan of
ventilation cannot always be alike.
The great object in ventilation is, that
the air should be constantly changing,
without direct draft of it upon the
animal; and though no ventilation can
be carried on without current of air,
yet there can be no doubt that it is not
necessary or advantageous to have a
draft blowing on the horses. The aper-
lures for the admission and discharge
of air should be capable of being varied
at pleasure; and it is preferable that the
openings should be made slanting, as
when they are made straight through
the wall it occasions too much current
in very severe weather. A uniform
temperature in the stable should be
preserved, and changes from one ex-
IRENE to another should be particularly
guarded against. Thorough drafts
should be avoided, and when men are in
the stable, cleaning it, or watering and
attending to the horses, the doors at both
ends should not be opened at once.
The bedding should, on all occasions
when the weather permits, be daily
dried and aired in the sun; for, when
put up wet or damp in the stable, under
the manger as is customary, it often
heats to great degree, and pollutes
the air in the stable. The arrangement
of cesspools and drains for the urine
from each stall would highly assist in
the preservation of health.-Prdirie
Farmer.