The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1913-05-29
News Letter from College Of Agri-
culture, University OF Mains)
Raising Draft Horses

|
! It Is quite evident that we ought
to be raising our own draft horses In
the State of Maine. They are cost
ing US altogether too much, and we
are suffering for need of more good
horses Some farmers who have real
ly good draft mares hesitate 70
breed them because they cannot I'M
derstand how they can spare the
mares, they are needed so constantly
| to do the work of the farm. How
ever, it Is quite possible to raise colts
without seriously interfering with
| the use of the mare in doing the work
on the farm. To do this successful
ly SO that the colt shall not be stunt
ed or the mare overworked requires
exercise of judgement in breeding at
the right time so that the colts will
be foaled at a season of the year
when the mare can be spared for
few days
A number of things have to be TAX
en- into consideration. 1t Is desir-
able to give the mares two weeks
rest after she foals. The last month
or two before she foals she Is heavy
and awkward and not in the best con-
dition for the hardest kind of work.
AS general thing the mare can be
bred most successfully when she Is in
fairly good flesh and is not worn out
with overwork. 1t we were only to
consider the mare and her relations
to the work of the farm 1t might be
best to breed her to foal in January
or February, but many farm teams
are kept busy when there Is any
shedding In the winter and certainly
1t Is difficult in this climate in the
dead of winter to give young colt
the exercise that he needs without
danger of unduly exposing him.
When a colt is eating so that he
will gain not less than three pounds
day on an average during the time
he is sucking his dam box stall or
even a small sheltered yard does not
furnish room enough for him to take
the exercise needed to harden his
rapidly growing muscles and to devel
op his heart and lungs. 1t he makes
a good growth he is likely to be weak
and soft; IL he does not make a good
growth while he is with the mare he
will always be understood.
When conditions are such that only
light work Is required of the brood
mare from the first to the middle of
May, then is the ideal time to have
the foal appear. The warm weather,
young grass, and the absence of flies
furnish the most favorable condi-
lions; but because of the scarcity and
high price OF horses and the short
season for seeding, cultivating, and
harvesting crops every available draft
mare ought to be at work at this
season and even a vacation OF a week
is expensive. May is often the most
announcement month of the year for
draft mares to foal. Work is sure to
be crowding and all the horses must
sons operations of the farm are eff
fected. When all conditions are
taken into consideration, some time
between the middle of March and the
middle of April seems to be the most
favorable for the draft mare to foal.
A mare that foals the last of March
can have a two weeks rest, apd two
weeks more of light work before the
business season comes on. By the
first of May the colt is old enough so
that he does not suffer seriously If
kept away from his dam half day at
a time while she Is at work.
1t is very little use to attempt to
raise a colt unless we are prepared to
follow a course that will enable US to
raise a good colt. The quality of the
colt should be the first consideration
when the draft mare is bred.
At the present time the profit from
raising good draft horses is large
enough so that it may pay to devote
the mare to that purpose without
much regard to the work she might
do But II she can raise the colt and
do her regular work the cost of rails
Ing the colt> will be correspondingly
reduced. BY breeding the mare to
foal in March or April this can be
accomplished. Until we have more
than 10 times as many big draft colts
on our Maine farms as we have at
present we shall be in no danger of
oversupplying the demand and every
branch of the farming industry will
be strengthened in proportion to the
number OF the right kind of colts that
are available for farm work. So we
say breed young draft mares as soon
as possible and when the colts ap-
pear take the best of care Of them.
A word of caution should go in
here. Most Of the horse breeding
states have driven out the unsound
poorly bred, understood stations from