ON THEFOOD OF HORSES.
Horsesmust be Fed in proportion to their Work—they must not be kept to certain regular Feeds, unless they are kept to certain regular Work, or Disease will soon overtake them, and Death end them full Gallop.
Our English Cavalry, the labour of which is about equal to that of a Coach Horse in a Private Carriage, are allowed 14 lb. ofHay, and 10 lb. ofOatsper Day. Government contracts for Oats to weigh 40 lb. to the Bushel, so that it is a Peck per Day.
To the French Cavalry in Garrison, they distribute the Allowance, and fix the hours of Feeding in the following manner:
At Fiveo’Clock in the Morning, a third part of Hay.
At Eighto’Clock, a half allowance of Oats, and afterwards a third of Straw.
At Mid-day, a third of Hay.
At Threeo’Clock, a half allowance of Oats, and afterwards a third of Straw.
At Seveno’Clock in the Evening, a third of Hay, and a third of Straw.
“Horses are Wateredhalf an hour before receiving the Oats; consequently, twice a day during the hot weather, and their Thirst quenched again in the Evening.”—From p. 132 and 133 ofMr. R. de Rochefort’s Promenades à Cheval. Paris, 16mo. 1826.
Blundevill, in his Order of Dieting Horses, 4to. 1609, p. 10, says, “that half a Peck of Oates, or as much as a Man can easily take up at six times with both his hands together, is enough to give a Horse at once.”
For Carriage Horsesemployed in the usual Town work, sixteen to twenty pounds of sound meadowHay, with from three quarters to a Peck of good fullOats, per Day, will be sufficient:—should Frost, or other circumstances, lessen their labour, their Food shouldbe lessened also, and a small proportion ofBransubstituted; on the other hand, when their Exercise is severe, the allowance ofCornshould be increased; to which, when they are worked very hard, a fewBeansare an invigorating addition; a great quantity ofHayis not good, except for Cart Horses, who are meant for no other use but to roll on slowly, with a fat fellow full of Beer swaggering beside them.
Lord Pembroke’splan of feeding Horses, especially Old ones, with bruised Corn, and Chaff, is to be recommended—“Every grain then goes to nourishment, and Three feeds go further, than Four, as commonly given.”
Although a horse has but a short Stomach, he has Long Bowels:—Dr. Brackentells us, that “the length of the Alimentary Canal of a Horse is seldom less than 35 Yards: He must, therefore, feed a little at a time; and as we know that when our own Stomach is empty, we feel languid, so does the Horse—and as a small Stomach must be soon emptied, it requires to be frequently replenished.”
A Horse should have Four feeds in a Day, the first about Six inthe Morning, the next at Eleven, again at Four, and the last thing at Night:—of these, Supper and Breakfast should be the Best; the intermediate Eating should be at about Noon, and four or five hours after: in the intervening time, let his Rack and Manger be empty, then when he comes to his meal he will eat with an appetite whatever you give him.
Make it a Rule, to give your Horses their Food two hours before you put them to Work—that the first act of the restorative process of Digestion may be finished before they are disturbed.
Young Horses, that have not done growing, have strong Appetites, and require to be more fully fed than those that have come to Maturity, but not so much Corn;—Bran, and Clover Hay. Chaff damped, will occasionally do for them better—Young Horses, like Young Children, require their Food in Quantity rather than Quality, and the lighter it is the better.
Soft Wateris to be preferred; the condition of a Horse’sCoat depends much on the quality of the Water that he drinks—very cold and hard water will break his Coat directly.
A Cavalry Officer informed me, that, observing One Troop in his Regiment in much finer condition than the rest, he found, on inquiry, that it was occasioned by the Horses of that Troop drinkingSoftwater, while the others hadHardwater.
HAY
Varies quite as much in Quality, as it does in Price—Clovergrass is, by some, considered to be the best; whence the Proverb, “to Live in Clover.”
The Nose is your best guide in the choice of Hay.Good hard Hayhas a quick and agreeable smell:—it is of great importance that Hay be good; if it is not, let a Horse eat as much as he will of it, he will be low and poor.
I am told that there is a great deception practised in Hay Markets: they take care that those Trusses in the Cart which are likely to be examined are good; but the main bulk of the Load is not always of equally good quality.
The Reader is recommended to deal regularly with the same Farmer, asthe best security against the deceptions which it is said are sometimes practised in Markets.
When a Buyer endeavours to bate a Seller down below the regular market price, it may tempt a Seller to make himself amends, by putting up some Trusses of inferior Quality, if not of short Weight also.—Say to your Hay-salesman, “Now mind, I buy this as a load of Good Hay, and I shall not pay for it till I have unloaded it and found it all right.”
The fresherHayis cut from the Stack the better: it soon turns soft and musty in a damp Hayloft, and in the course of a few weeks loses all its best Qualities.
Never lay Trusses of Hay upon each other: the best way to keep Hay from Damp and Moulding, is to set it up on its edge—so that a current of Air may circulate round it.
Go to Market in good time;—if you wait till your Stock is quite out, you must buy what you can.
BEANS
are only needful when Horses have a great deal of hard work, and in Wet weather.
BRIEFLY, AS TO HORSE-MEAT.
Hay isHorse-Bread.
Corn—Horse-Mutton.
Beans—Horse-Beef:
And the most strengthening substance that can be given them.
Good Branis a useful article in a Horse’s diet, and when Scalded, with a handful of Salt to it, is occasionally as good a Mash for a Horse as a Mess of Gruel is for a Man.
A Truss ofHayshould weigh 56 lbs.
A Truss ofStraw, 36 lbs.
A Truss ofNew Hay, 60 lbs.
A Tonanda Loadof Hay are nearly the same.
If you send a Servant to purchase Provisions, &c. for your Horses, at least choose the Purveyor yourself, and tell your Servant previously to bring youthe Price, (in writing), with the Samples of the various things.
Desire each Tradesman to send home with each Article, whether you pay Ready Money for it, or otherwise, “A Ticket of the Quantity and thePrice of it,” of which carefully ascertain the correctness.
Cast up every Bill,Pay every Account Yourself,andTake care of your Receipts.
These are your only effective protections against those ruinous Impositions which perfunctory Persons continually suffer, from combinations between their Servants and their Purveyors.