Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-10-30
Care of a Road Horse.
SOME REASONS WHY A WELL HORSE
MAY FAIL TO GAIN FLESH.

c.. W. n, Wyalusing, Penn: have
just purchased a large, rangy mare,
eleven years old, of good breeding, of
trotting blood, or at least good fast
traveller, but she is very thin in flesh,
although she was eating whole oats
when got her, twelve quarts a day, and
working. Now am feeding two quarts
of good coarse bran and two quarts OF
coarse ground rye three times daily and
all the hay she will eat. She is hearty
eater and drinks well; but her inteStines
roll and rumble good deal whenever
am around her. Her food seems to be
quite well chewed and digested. She
licks her grain box after she has finish
ed eating, and snaps and chews so one
can hear her teeth. Her hair looks we'll,
but in the morning, when 60 to the
stable, she looks pinched and drawn up,
as though she had not had anything to
eat, though every night fill her rack
with hay the last thing and offer her
water, which she usually accepts. If
you can advise anything that will
straighten her up / will be very thank
full.
Well, can't see that there is anything
the matter with this mare. She is one
of your lean kind of we'll bred, nervous
horses that never carry much flesh.
Horses are like people; some will eat an
immense amount of fattening food, and
ye0 they are always lean and bony;
Others will eat little and are always fat
and chunky. You state this mares hair
looks we'll and she feels we'll. That GER
tainly is indicative of her digestion be-
| ing normal. You also see no abnormal
condition in her weddings, which indicate
the non-presence of intestinal worms.
All that see abnormal is your stuffing
her with hay and not giving her grain of
kind which is conducive to thrift.
Wheat bran and rye meal is pretty poor
grain feed for road horse. Now, sup
pose you try getting two bushels of oats
and one bushel of good sound corn
ground together, and in every hundred
pounds of this ground feed mix twenty
| five pounds of wheat middlings. In the
morning, before feeding, offer her a
drink of pure, clear water from pail.
She may not drink two quarts OF 1t, but
that don't matter; it will wash the stom-
ach and first intestines. Then feed her
mixed meal feeds in quantities of third
of a pound of meal to hundred pounds
of horse. That is to say, If this mare
weighs one thousand pounds, feed her
about three and one-third pounds of
meal Then give her what nice, clean,
we'll cured mixed hay she will eat in one
hours time. An hour later give her
water. Do the same at noon and at
night. -,
Now, there is another matter will
speak of, and that is your manner Of
driving. Some drivers will worry more
flesh off horse than the work they do
will take off. Some check road horse
up until he can't travel in comfort, sim
ply because the owner likes to see a
horse with his head in. the air and his
nose pointed heavenwsrd. Others are
constantly scolding and yanking on the
lines and keeping a nervous horse in a
stew. 1t is not the miles horse travels
or the work he does that worries him
half as much as some mems driving. l
might learn q lot could see you hitch
up and drive, and know whether you
fed regularly or not. These are hints
for others than you.-C. D. Smead, V.
s.. in Tribune Farmer.