The Yale expositor., 1901-10-04
summer Care OF Horses.

Sucn spells OF not weather aS nave
recently been experienced throughout
the country have taught number OF
lessons that will be Of the greatest pos
sible value in meeting similar circum-
stances in the future. The recent
heated term has seen the advent OF the
horse hat" a hideous straw concep-
ton which has come into vogue in the
large cities, but which apparently has
not found favor in the country. The
idea of providing means OF protection
for the heads of horses working during
the hot hours OF the day is well enough
but it is very questionable whether the
straw hat fills the bill, so to speak.
The first requisite in such protection
is to shade the head and at the same
time allow free circulation of air be-
tween the hat and the head. This Is
not done by the straw hat. Examina-
ton has disclosed the fact that under
the hat the skin is hot and dry; circu-
lation of air has not taken place, hence
many horse-owners have discarded the
new pattern hat and devised other
means of protection. The older form
of protection was better. 1t consisted
of a shade which did not come into
contact with the head, being on the or
der of a parasol. The other common
form of shade in the cities is a piece
of thick felt, which may be kept satur-
ated with water, but this is open to the
same objection as the more modern
hat in that it does not allow free cir
culation of air. Sponges are still used
to cover the poll, it being thought that
by keeping them wet that they afford
protection and GOODNESS Is the head.
This is not the case in most instances.
They are cool so long as they are wet
with cold water, but it is quite impos-
sible to keep them cool all day when
most required and they do not allow
air to play between the head and the
sponge. To sum up then, 1t has been
found that a parasol shade is the best,
gives perfect protection and requires
no work or water. More Important
however, than the fitting of any kind
of contraption upon the heads of horses
working in the sun is proper manage
ment and feeding of the horses. With
animals as with men, cases OF heat
prostration do not as rule occur when
the patient is in perfect health. Man
! becomes overcome with heat when he
is sick from indigestion or has been in
the habit of taking intoxicating liquor
in large quantities. 1t has also been
found that where people live in unsani-
tary conditions that they are most Ii
able to suffer from over-heating. Ger
tain kinds of food also tend to render
the person eating them susceptible to
sunstroke, hence all doctors advise
from heavy meals of meat, and drink
plain, cool, but not iced drinks during
exceptionally hot weather. Turning to
the horse we find that in most cases OF
over-heating there is some cause apart
from hard work or exposure to the di-
rect rays of the sun. In the large
cities the worst sufferer among the
horses is the middle horse in the three
horse team which is used to move vast
loads of coal. This poor beast is ex'
posed to the suns rays and at the same
time to the radiation of heat from the
bodies of the two other horses between
which he, is sandwiched. This middle
horse is common victim during ho
weather. If he does not go down, over
come with heat, it is only necessary Il
look at him when at work to determine
whether his condition is a pleasant
one. His looks tell that he is in mis-
cry and invariably he is thin and worI
as compared with his companions II
harness. This form of hitching should
be absolutely forbidden by the HUI
name Society whenever hot spell o
weather strikes the city. On farms thu
way to prevent overheating is to shade
the head, keep the horse in well-ven
tilated, clean stable, the windows ant
doors of which are screened agains
the entrance of flies and shaded to keel
out direct rays of the sun. The hors
should be we'll groomed twice daily
should not be allowed to stand with hi
harness on at the noon hour, shoul'
not be fed when warm, should hay
drinking water before feeding and IL
sips frequently when at work. HI
should not be fed corn during no
weather: suitable food would consis
of sound, old oats, hay at night, Blu
none during the day, and bran masl
two or three times during the week
1t is a good practice to sponge hin
with cold water after the days work
, but do not turn the hose on him.
Demand for Horses.