FIRST AID HINTS FOR THE HORSE OWNER A - VETERINARY NOTE BOOK

Horses confined in stables are being kept under
artificial conditions, and in consequence skill is
required to maintain them in good health. Living
under natural conditions the horse eats grass ; he eats
for a very considerable number of hours each day and
during the night ; he feeds in small quantities at
frequent intervals, and he drinks whenever he feels
inclined. He has a very small stomach for his size.
These facts should be borne in mind when horses are
in the stable, and the less the natural conditions are
disturbed the better.
Conditioning. Horses intended for hunting during
the season should be brought in from grass during July
or, at the latest, August. During July the grass begins
to lack the nutritive qualities which it had in May and
June, and the horse will come up in less soft condition
if he has been given a feed of 5 lb. oats daily the last
few weeks at grass. This extra condition is due partly
to the hard food and partly to the fact that the oats
give the horse more energy and that he therefore takes
more exercise on his own.