The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1918-03-22

morse TO neaVy WOfK ny whatever
means is most convenient. FIRE.
quently you can harrow for time in
the middle of the day when the
frost Is too heavy in the morning
and evening to permit of it. This
is worth doing for the sake of har-
dening the horses even If you do
not accomplish much in the work
performed.
Before starting OUT be sure that
your collars fit the horses that they
are" used on A new collar Or a
collar that Is not adjusted to the
shoulders of particular horse can
be soaked in water for several
hours, dried off so that it will not
make the horses shoulders wet and
put on while it is soft from the
wetting, so that 1t will adjust itself
to the shape of the particular
horse. A new collar should be
prepared in this way and adjusted
to the horses shoulders that it Is
to be used on and it should never
be used on any other horse.
Keep the Collars Clean
Every morning before harnessing
your horses, Or better still in the
evening when you unharness them,
rub the face of the collars clean
either with a cloth or with the
palm Of your hand so that there is
no dirt to gather and chafe their
skins. One of the most common
sources Of sore shoulders Is the &C
emulation of hair that is shedding
or dandruff and dirt out of the skin.
It IS a good plan to wash the shoul-
ders of the horses in the evening
after the collars are taken off, and
wash their necks as a means Of get
ting out all of the dirt, lose hair,
etc.
Adjust the harness and watch it
carefully during the first part of the
work, see that 1t fits to the horse
and it not chafing him anywhere.
Whenever you stop to rest them
step around in front of your team
and pull their names out from un>
der the collar, rub off the faces of
the collars, particularly when you
are first beginning work so that
hair and dirt will not accumulate
during the half day that you are out
and make sore shoulders.
Condition by Feeding Grain
Horses must have grain while
they are working II they are to do
a. reasonable amount Of pulling.
Feed them grain for as long time
as possible before you begin spring
work. A little grain for three or
four weeks before you begin will
make a big difference IN what a
41o ko~ x,ha, 81 rrynr1r
begins. Whenever horses are idle
during the working period as on
Sunday, on account of rain or for
any other reason cut down the feed
to half of what they are getting
when you are working them. OveI
feed and idleness or lack of exer-
else are two of the worst things for
horses. 1t Is worse when they are
accustomed to working each day
and eating heavily They will
eat grain, Of course. if you will give
it to them, but they are worse off
for having it when they are idle.
Trim Up Horses Feet
Before you start spring work at
all trim their hoofs. It will save
them carrying the extra weight,
WILL Keep Luc" llOH sAuIC1 AOA
and in many cases will prevent
them splitting up theil hoofs in
case you have to travel on the road
or hard ground at all. 1t makes it
easier for them and it will look
much better to you.
Clean their fetlochs well so as to
prevent their getting sore or what
is called scratches.
The caring of horses during the
spring work is largely matter of
thinking about it and taking pains
to keep them clean and using judg-
ment or common sense. The mat
ter of grooming them makes a big
difference in what they can stand
in, the way of work.
If you do not have oass. which is
the best single grain feed for
horses. and can get wheat, bran
and middlings YOU can make a good
substitute for oats by feeding a mix
sture of half bran, half shorts by
weight, and the same quantity, by
weight, that you would do of oats.