Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-08-30
HORSE BREEDING IN VERMONT.

HORSE BREEDING IN VERMONT.
The Fair Haven Era, in a late issue,
contains a timely article from the able
pen of CLARK Comstock" on "Horse |
Breeding in Vermont for Profit" from
which we make the following abstract:
Now let us see what usually happens
to a colt in Vermont. Up to the time he
was put into winter quarters he has had |
a romp and play and lung and vein ex-
ercise, as well as muscular exercise,
every day of his life. He is all right and |
finally he is showed in. The owner
means well by him and would like to
make superior horse of him, so he de-
termnes to feed him the best he knows
how. a neighbor who has had previous
experience tells him not to feed much
grain-he had "tried it oncet on the
incest colt you ever see, and found that
oats was pizen to him. He growed nigh
ty fine at first and was so full of the devil
he most kicked the barn down, but after
awhile he got ofen his feed and was dunn
psh and too fat and lazy. Next spring
his hair came off in scabby patches and
his legs swelled up and heb ad scratches
and thrush and then he took distemper
and it went through him like rot
through a pumpkin, and his eyes got
milky. Them oats just pizened him all
inside and he was never any good, and
before begun to feed him grain he was
the incest colt you ever see.''
And the picture thus presented was no
doubt faithful life portrait. High feed
ing will produce functional derange-
ments unless you keep the system in bal
ance in all its parts. Without this, even
if it does not break out in active disor-
ders, it fails to produce the desired re-
suit. The colt that ran and romped and
swelled his arteries and veins and blew
out his lungs at full blast every day
during the first seven months of his life
was then frozen in for the winter, and
never once gave them an expanding for
the next six months, whereas under the
feed which forced his growth in other
particulars they needed just such fill
ing up every day, in order to develop
with the rest of the organism. With
simple exercise the oxygen would have
burnt the fever out of the blood and ex-
PEELED it with the breath instead of let
ting it clog the system and "pizen' it.
Some of the more thoughtful breeders
have awakened to the necessity of every
day exercise. 1t not only keeps the tone
of the stomach right but assists in keep
ing the whole digestive and assimlative
functions in order. 70 do this the exer-
else must be regular and uninterrupted.
Starting in California and rapidly spread
ing elsewhere, this need has brought into
requisition the miniature track on which
one man with no great physical exertion
to himself can amply exercise twenty
colts day and give it to them as strong
as need be. If this contrvance or its
equivalent is needed in California where
there Is no winter, or in Kentucky where
there is but half-hearted one, how much
more is it needed in Vermont. These
speed rings in California are mostly with
out roof or cover, as the weather seldom
seriously interferes with the work for any
length of time, but in New England reg
ular work could hardly be relied on I'M
less ring could be had inside of some
building of sufficient size. l have seen a
pretty good substitute in straw yard,
where in spite of snow storms good deal
exercising could be done. A man stand
ing in the middle with whip in hand can
keep colt moving lively around the out
side of the yard, which should be fenced
Oft in circular form to prevent the colt
from stopping and turning about at the
corners. An inside rail to prevent his
cutting across gives you the miniature
track. Remember that this is high
pressure arrangement. The fun of it is
apt to cause the novice to overdo the colt
Watch him carefully and see that he is
never exhausted. When playing in the
field he will stop when he feels like it,
Watch his inclinations and don't make
the task so arduous that he gets sick of
it: at the same time if he is loafer don't
let him shirk too much. \ colt thus ex-
ercised acquires under the strong grain
feeding which he may safely take in con-
junction, an amount of muscular and vi
tai force that is astonishing to the unini-
tiated As a two-year-old he has the
power and stature of an ordinary four
year-old. Many one at Palo Alto thus
reared has been able to draw a sulky
quarters in forty-five seconds when bro
ken to harness, the fall after passing a
year old. In fact, they could do it nat
urally as soon as taught to go straight
ahead in harness. Many of the yearlings,
however, are got to eat the equivalent of
twelve quarts of oats a day in the shape
of mixed grain ration, which in that es-