The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-10-22

The Horse is an
Animal Of Habit

. 1 LCNA 6S lilly AZ TX III L
ing, at twelve o'clock his noon meal,
and at six O'Clock his evening feed, he
expects the grain buckets to put in
their appearance exactly at these
stated times. If a horse has been reg
Ilarly watered before the noon and
even feeds and say at nine p. m,
Just before his nights rest begins, his
hody will require water at those times
anS the system may be thrown into
disorder il the water is omitted. If u
horse is accustomed to a certain grain
or r~oughage in definite amounts, acute
Indigestion may develop il the feed is
suddenly changed.
The question nov comes-does it
pay to cater to the habits of the horse
with reference TO feeding, watering,
stabling, working and grooming? Il
unquestionably does, not only from a
dollar point of view but also in the
appearance Of the horse. A majority
of The so-called cases of collie in the
horse can be prevented by feeding reg
ularly, using nothing but sound grain,
avoiding sudden changes of feed, and
watering regularly. And in regard to
the appearances of a horse. every man
should have enough pride and be
enough of a horseman to always keep
his horses looking well. Regular
grooming, intelligent handling and
knowing what a horse needs and CIV
ing 1t at the right time all assist in
Keeping up the horses appearance, A
banker once said that he did not cor
slider it necessary to look up a farm
er's reference if the farmer wished to
negotiate a loan. He said he would
Judge the farmers financial rating by
the kind of a team he drove to town.
And so it is; a man is judged by the
class of livestock he keeps.
There should be a regular feeding
hour in every stable. The time can
be arranged to suit the kind of work
the horse is doing, but this time should
vary but little either way. A sudden
change of the grain feed or roughage
should be avoided. At the season OF
the year when new oats are first offer
ed or when the new hay replaces old
hay, cases of acute indigestion are
very common. A change of any feed
for horses must be made gradually,
and especially is this the case in
changing from old hay and Grain To
new. Furthermore, it is important TO
restrict the amount of hay for a horse.
Under most conditions hay can be fei
at the rate of a pound per one hundred
pounds of liveweight daily. Sufficient
grain should be fed to keep the horse
in satisfactory order. The amount of
grain fed will vary from a pound to a
pounds live weight daily, when horses
are at work. Care taken in avoiding
overlooking not only prevents diges-
tive troubles but also cases of found
er. Cut down the grain feed one-halt
on the days the horse is not working.
This precaution will prevent the oc-
currence of a~zoturia.'
The method of watering is the ser
OllQ ldCtOl WHICH Coi A6ilC PlOh4AAAAtt
" in digestive troubles of the horse.
Most horsemen prefer to water before
the noon and evening feeds and after
the morning feed. It must be admitted
that from a point of convenience
this iS about the best. 1t does not
make so much difference if a horse IS
offered water before or after feeding
or at both times just SO regularity in
either method is followed. It goes
without saying that judgment should
be used in the amount of water offered
when the horse is very warm When
the horse is not hot he should of
course be allowed as much IS he
wants.
The factor Of stabling and stable
management is neglected too much in
handling horses. Even men who are
good feeders sometimes become care
less with their stables. The good
stable will be well tighten and ven
tilated, as comfortable as possible and
free from dirt and filth and disease
germs. Too many stables do not have
enough sunlight. A stable without
sunlight will be damp, and If disease
germs are introduced they will have
every opportunity to thrive: It re-
quires lots of sunlight and fresh air to
keep a stable pure and free from Of
fensive doors. A horse certainly ap-
preciates a level stall floor made com
Portable by bedding. He cannot rest
well if forced to lie or stand on an
inclined plane. The horse stalls should
be cleaned daily or twice daily if nee
essary. a. dirty, filthy stable and barr
yard simply offer a favorable breeding
place for flies. By all mean keep
the stable clean.