The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-02-03
Little Atten lions Required by the Horse.

WebSter'S Report.
Little Atten tons Required by the Horse.
fit is right to call the horse saga
cious animal, then it is right, if we take
no other than a purely selfish view of
| the case, to give him such kindly and
necessary attentions as he will be thank
full for. The merest eur is thankful for
attentions, hence why should not the
horse be equally thoughtful and ready
to serve the hand that gives him his oats
in place of the one that gives him the
lash. If horse, naturally vicious, at
tacks the groom, it is because he is first
attacked, or otherwise thrown into a
frenzied state from injury or fright.
1t is entirely natural that horse should
know the difference, and, if allowed,
would choose the comfortable instead of
the uncomfortable stable. The shelter
| given to horses in the winter is too often
so out of repair that currents of cold air
pass under the floor or around the horse.
| This is source of no little discomfort to
the animal while not at work, and may
cause illness to the heated animal just
in from his work. To throw a blanket
over horses back in such case affords
but slight protection, as the hair and
skin of the lower portion of the body are
thinner than on the upper; and it may be
added to this, that chilling of the limbs,
these being in no wise protected by
blanket, is an active source of congestion
to the vital organs of a horse that has
been hard pushed at his work. ann =.
Especially is it true that a horse so
driven that the lungs are wrought up to
an excited state, is liable, if placed in q
cold stable, to contract pneumonia or
bronchitis. That condition of tempera-
| ture which is known to aggravate lung
disease when present, is also well calcu-
lated to cause slight irritability in the
delicate tissues of the lungs to grow
into formidable infiammatory attack.
Hence, one of the little details which
goes to make up prudent care of the
horse Just in from exciting or fatiguing
work, is to place him where, he can
| breathe the warmest air in the stable, if
there is any one place warmer than an
other. Especially should he have his
head turned away from cold current,
the body and limbs being rubbed dry in
the meantime, and the latter bandaged
with flannel if the fatigue is great and
there seems to be any constitutional dis
turbance. Independent of the hazard
from liability to lung trouble or rheuma-
tism, these attentions are required on
the score of comfort merely. In addition
to these attentions, the horse should be
walked about until the circulation and
surface are in good state.
The horse is required to show life and
willingness to travel when out of the
stall, hence there are certain attentions
required in the feeding that his body may
be supple and his spirits lively. The horse
! fed freely on corn will not be in fit con-
dition for active driving. In popular
language, corn is said to be heating, and
it has tendency to produce Indigestion.
As the horse with confined bowels is
necessarily spiritless, the stable should
be at all times provided with bran and
oil cake, that by judicious use of these
the bowels may be kept in just the right
state-not loose, for this is facilitating.
If the horse is expected to go fast for a
short distance, to pull a heavy load, or
make a days drive with comfort and
safety to himself, no large amount of
hay should be given. The same rule of
keeping down the size of the abdomen
always practiced with the speed-horse-
should be the rule for service of any kind,
whether the animal be kept for light
driving, or equally if he weigh ton and
works upon four-ton truck.
4 The giving of salt to the horse is one
of those little attentions that takes but
little time, and if only because he likes
the taste of salt, he should have it as a
luxury. Confined as he is upon two or
three kinds of food during the entire
year, he should certainly be INDUCED in
his taste for salt, even though merely
for the pleasure enjoyed in the eating,
but salt has its uses, and these are real,
not imaginary. 1t stimulates the flow
from the follicles, excites action in the
muscular coat of the stomach and bow
els, and in this way tones up digestion.
Horses that suffer from Indigestion are
quite likely to have worms, and salt is
destructive to these. The young worm
just forming in the bowels is readily de-
stroyed by salt, hence its regular moder-
ate use not only removes these from the
bowels, but is antagonistie to their
further formation. .Ht.
The position occupied by the food be-
fore the horse may be made one of dis
comfort, through the use of the managers
and feed-boxes placed higher than the
natural formation of the animal renders
comfortable. The natural position in
feeding is with the head down. With
the head elevated. 1nastication, as well
as the act of swallowing, is made diff
cult Some object to high feed-racks
because of the liability of dust and hay
seed falling into the horses eyes, When
the rack is so high as to cause this re-
suit, then, of course, this is an added
objection. - National Lice Stock Journal.