^" rd ©?1E 99 0Q0 Q^^i^' ^^ «a'M \^^ ■)yk\^d ry m;? x^ o-J «i -wJ i^ • -I JOHNA.SEAVERNS ^^^ TUFTS UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 3 9090 014 547 711 B Uc^i?. ^ - Seaverns SF 285 B54 1895 ^^,,vi HoRSfi Boo,^ A Concise and practical treatise on THE Horse BY JACOB BIGGLE ADAPTED TOTHE NEEDS OF FARMERS ANDOTHERS WHO HAVE A Kindly Regard for this Noble Servitor of Man ILLUSTRATED Always speak to a horse as you would to a gentleman. PHILADELPHIA WiL.wER Atkinson Co. 1895 SECOND EDITION. CopjTight, 1894, By Wilmer Atkinson Company. prefacp: The Author has not much to say by way of Preface. A portion of the material contained herein has been contributed by practical Horsemen and Veterinarians of the highest standing in the United States. It contains much of the kindly wisdom of John Tucker and the gentle thought of Harriet Biggie as they have been displayed in the pages of the Farm Journal. Much space has been given to the humane Training of the Horse, to his proper Housing and Feeding, to the Care of his Feet, and to the Education of the Colt. The x\uthor is fully conscious of the incompleteness of the work, of its imperfections and omissions ; but he has done the best he could in the space allotted, and hopes his book will be of permanent value to all into whose possession it may come. JACOB BIGGLE. Elmwooi) Farm. INVOCATION. When cold and wet, please rub me dry, And do not beat me when I shy ; Give twice a week a hot bran mash, With corn and oats and salt a dash ; Ten pounds each day of hay that's free From dust — all you should give to me ; Feed twice a week, instead of oats, A pair of carrots — "twill shine my coal ; When hot, don't give me drink or grain ; \\Tien cold, don't stand me in the rain ; Batten my stable warm and tight, And see that it's kept clean and light ; In winter, blanket close and bed me deep ; — And vou'U find I'll pay you for my keep. CONTENTS. PAGE Preface 5 Invocation 6 History 9 Horse Maxims 11 Chapter I. — the different breeds 13 Chapter H. — feeding and watering 31 Chapter HI. — in the stable and at work ... 40 Horse Maxims 49 Chapter IV. — whims and vices 50 Chapter V. — harness hints 53 Chapter VI. — ailments and remedies 58 Chapter VII.— ailments and remedies 63 Chapter VIII. — doctoring 70 Mare Maxims 74 Chapter IX. — mare and colt 75 Chapter X. — the colt's education 83 Colt Maxims 89 Chapter XL — the foot 90 Horse Maxims 96 Chapter XH. — shoeing 97 Maxims 103 Chapter XIII. — a word from Harriet 105 Colt Philosophy no Chapter XIV. — age of a horse in Chapter XV. — about stables 115 HISTORY. In all authentic histoiy of the human race, we find the horse mentioned as the servant and companion of man. When the horse was first domesticated is not known, nor do we know of what country he is a native. Central Asia, Arabia and Central Africa each claims this honor, and we will not dispute the claims of either. In the time of Moses, horses were used in Egypt ; and later on, Solomon kept and used large numbers of them. From Job's vivid description it is evident that they were used and well bred in the countries farther east. Horses are represented in the carvings on the ruins of ancient Ninevah and in the marble friezes of the Greek Parthenon. When the Romans invaded Britain, they found the natives using horses of superior quality, and took some of them back to Rome. It is supposed that the Spaniards brought horses to South America as early as 1535? 3-nd that soon afterwards others were shipped to Paraguay. From these importations, it is thought there resulted the countless herds that have since spread over South America, and, passing the Isthmus of Panama, wandered into Mexico and California. In like manner, European settlers carried this noble animal to Australia, where, as in America, he has multiplied to a prodigious extent. He has, indeed, been diffused by the agency of man throughout the whole inhabited globe. o. I. 2. 3- 4- 5- 6. 7- 8. 9- lo. II. 12. 14. 16. 17- 18. 19. REFERENCE Poll or nape of the neck. Neck. . Jugular gutter. ^Yither5. Back. Loins. Croup. Tail. Parotid region. Throat. Shoulder. Point of the shoulder. iVrm. Elbow. Forearm. Chestnut. Knee. Canon. Fetlock. Pastern. Coronet. CHART. 20. Foot. 21. Xiphoid region, 22. Ribs. 23. Abdomen. 24. Flank. 25. Sheath. 26. Testicles. 27. Buttock. 27 bis. Angle of buttock. 28. Thigh. 28 bis. Haunch. 29. Stifle. 30. Leg. 31. Hock. 32. Chestnut. 33. Canon. 34. Fetlock. 35. Pastern. 36. Coronet. 37. Foot. HORSE MAXIMS. John Tucker says : Proper food and lots of seufi/iient loill make 7vith good blood a good horse. The brush unll sa7'e oats. There is a great deal of saving in a loalk. It is all right to feed the horse hav only tivice a day and the most at night. Find some zvay of keeping the horses busy all pointer. Thus only ivill they keep sound and be ready for hard spring 7ihen it eomes. It is expensive to loarm iee-7oater inside the stoek. Horses e-af dirt and gnaTo their mangers from habit and because they li'ant to. Ask the horses if they can' t help oitt the Jiay mow by eating the strazu sprinkled uuth bran. If you must put frosty bits in so//ie mouths, let it be your own. Suffering begets sympathy. 12 HORSE MAXIMS. Harriet Biggle says : The7-e are oafs in the currycomb. There is more profit in coaxing than in kicks. Do not push the plozu team the first week or yon may get behind. If they throw up their heads a7id act timidly look after your stableman. Such acts speak louder than words. Carry the bridles with you to the house whejt you go to breakfast and put the bits near the stove ivhile you eat. Be gentle, be kind, be patient. Always speak to a horse as you loould to a gentleman. A horse can travel safer and better' taith his head hang- ing do7i'n or free than it can 7ohen it is checked up. By all means, let your horse have its head. The three greatest enemies of the horse are idleness, fat and a du»ib blacksmith. Did you ever thiiik of it? The zvhip is the parent of stubbornness. It is sure to be found sometvhere in the pedi- gree of eveiy balky horse. Iti training a young horse, use as intelligent braiji instead of a cruel whip. Many a horse stands tip all night because its stall is not made comfortable to lie down in. You cannot whip terror out of a horse or poimd <:ourage into one. Kindness and reasonable persuasion ai'e the best weapons to use itt training and educating a horse. If he shies or frightens, soothe and encourage hi/n, rather than beat and abuse him. Give to me nutritious food ; Give me water pure and good ; When the chilling winds do blow, Over me a blanket throw ; Shield me from all cruelty ; When I'm old be kind to me. CHAPTER I. THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. Realizing that lack of space forbids a description of every breed and type of horse, it is our aim to describe only a few breeds that fad and fancy, which often mean practical utility, have brought to the front of modern popularity. Although the effort to improve the breeds of horses must have existed at all times, it has only been within the last few centuries that records have been preserved to us as to how this end has been sought and accomplished. The horse whose record has been most carefully preserved, and who no doubt has left a deeper imprint on most of the modern breeds of horses, is the English Thoroughbred. Al- though "Thoroughbred" is apt to bring to the mind the breeding of horses for racing purposes alone, we must not forget that the qualities of courage, endurance and intelli- gence have largely been derived through the Thoroughbred strain, and that good blood of any kind is apt to give stronger muscles, finer bones, better joints, and superior wind and lung power. It was during the reign of Queen Anne, in 1 702-1704, that there was imported by a INIr. Darley an Arabian horse, which was called Darley's Arabian, and from him almost all of the famous horses of later day were descended. But whatever we owe to the great number of horses which were imported into England, both before and after this time, much credit is unquestionably due to the native mares, which some authorities say were mostly Cleveland Bays, upon which the Arabian, Barb or Turk was grafted, and which laid the 14 THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. foundation for the modern Thoroughbred. By "thorough- bred" is meant a horse or mare that can trace for generations from sires and dams of pure blood, or from Arabs, Barbs or Persians, recorded in the stud-book kept for that purpose. Our iUustration, made from a photograph from hfe, shows an Arabian horse, " Missirli,'' one of two presented to Gen- GEN. grant's ARABIAN. eral Grant by the Sultan of Turkey about the time of the Centennial. THE CLEVELAND BAY constituted a well-established breed in the Cleveland district, Yorkshire, Eng. , as long ago as 1 740. It was named from the location and his invariable color, ranging from light to very dark bay. For at least 150 years the Cleveland Bay has been renowned as deep enough in breeding to insure transmission of his popular and solid constitution and bay THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. 15 color, and has been considered the best general-purpose horse bred in England. During that time a few farmers kept the blood of the Cleveland Bay pure, and refused to mix it with other horses of the district. Some of the long- time farm leases of Yorkshire provide that the favorite Cleveland Bay mare and her progeny should be bred pure CLEVELAND BAY FILLY. on that farm during the term of the lease, and this has pre- served the breed in all its renowned essentials. Thirty years ago a few breeders thus owned most of the mares that had been bred pure, when a sudden demand sprung up for horses with level heads, good constitution, large bone and endur- ance, and drew attention to this breed. Then its friends were rewarded by large prices for their horses. From that 1 6 THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. time they have been most carefully bred. They are espe- cially desirable for family teams because of their fine style and action, level heads and good disposition. They are intelligent, sensible, good roadsters, and stylish. For this reason they are unexcelled as teams for wealthy city men who are willing and able to pay a good price. THE YORKSHIRE BAY. Among the finest cairiage horses in the world is the high- class Yorkshire Bay, combining as he does the quality and grace of the Thoroughbred with the strength, color and beauty of fomi of the Cleveland. He is an ideal of all that is mag- nificent and useful in the carriage horse. His color is a rich, shining bay ; his coat is as bright and fine and as glossy and as iridescent as that of the race horse; his legs, mane and tail are raven black, setting off the splendor of his golden color. He is strong and lengthy ; he stands over a great deal of ground ; his top has the flowing lines of the Cleve- land back and level quarter; his ribs are well sprung; he carries his neat head and arched crest, as well as his high-set tail, with all the pride and grace of an Arab, and no bearing- rein is needed to make him bend. At rest and in action he is a golden picture of stateliness. There may be other breeds that lift the knee higher, but the movement of the Yorkshire Bay is fine and free ; it is not a mere snapping of the knee and flexing of the hocks, but he moves smoothly, evenly and with liberty from the shoulders and thighs ; step- ping lightly and airily, yet with a long reach, he covers the ground swiftly and with ease. The Yorkshire Bay is a created type. Its home is the north and east ridings of Yorkshire. It has been formed by selection and crossing the Cleveland directly or indirectly with the Thoroughbred. THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. I9 great vigor and soundness, and was a natural trotter. He was the great grandsire of Hambletonian, of whom an illus- tration is given taken from a photograph. Hambletonian is the founder of the greatest trotting family the world has ever seen. He was foaled May 5, 1849, ^'^d died March 27, 1876, and was a beautiful bay, with white hind feet and a small white star in his forehead. His excellence consisted in his long trotting gait, his muscular development and the quality of his sinews and bones. He was never engaged in any race. The leading families of Standardbred horses are the Hambletonians just referred to; the Membrinos, whose mod- ern head was Mambrino Chief, a descendant of Messenger; the Bashaws, the Clays, the Stars, the Blue Bulls, the Canadians, the Royal Georges, and several Morgan families, to which a section of the chapter is devoted. THE MORGAN. The Morgan is termed by many the "American Hackney." He is known as a stayer. The ambition among old Norfolk trotter enthusiasts was not to go a mile in two minutes, but an unlimited distance in a limited time. The aim was 100 miles in ten hours to saddle, and the Morgan has the ability. Circumstances of locality have influenced this breed for such a purpose more than any other class of horses. The hills of New England prevent stretches of speed, and encourage staying powers against adverse conditions. The old Morgan appears to have had size and contour similar to the old Nor- folk, with greater substance. For long, steady, untiring work, the Morgan will unquestionably come to the front again in popularity. The history of the breed dates back to the foaling of Justin Morgan, in 1793. This horse was taken from his home at 20 THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. Springfield, Mass., when two years old, to Vermont. He was dark bay, fourteen hands, and 950 pounds. His walk was rapid and trot a smooth stride, and he was noted for courage, untiring action and beauty. Justin Morgan is con- ceded to have much Arabian blood in him. He left six entire sons — Hawkins, Sherman, Bulrush, Fenton, Revenge and Woodbury. Sherman, Bulrush and Woodbury left stock OLD ETHAN ALLEN. that has made them famous. From the first carne the Black horses : Ethan Aliens, Lamberts, Knoxes and Herods ; from Bulrush the Morrils and Fearnaughts, and from Woodbury the Golddusts and Magna Chartas. The Morgan is a trotting roadster, only that instead of turning off a fast mile he rapidly covers many miles with ease. His animation and eagerness make him a general favorite, whether for pleasure or business. The Morgans are,_a long-lived race. Justin died at 29, Sherman and Gifford at 26, Revenge at 22, Bui- THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. 21 rush at 35, Billy Root at 23 and Royal at 37. Their prepo- tency for 100 years has been remarkable. The illustration shows Ethan Allen, one of the famous descendants of Justin Morgan. THE HACKNEY. IMany persons make the mistake of believing every com- pactly-built horse a Hackney, when in truth this animal is a THE HACKNEY, distinctly English-bred trotter of exact type and antiquity of origin, dating, his lovers say, as far back in English literature as 1 1 70. A Hackney should be bred for quality as much as possible, and he must have bone and muscle enough to do the work required of him. -The demand is for power enough to draw four persons ten to twelve miles per hour without 22 THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. trouble. The Hackney has made some remarkable records as a trotter, and his courage and intelligence make him an aristocrat among horses. Just at present the fad of fashion seems to have turned his way, and probably one-half the horses exhibited in the great horse shows of the country are Hackneys. Their compact build, bright eye and high knee action make them sought after for the carts and carriages of the rich. THE DRAUGHT HORSE— THE FARMER'S HORSE. Few men who buy horses will ask whether they are Norman, Clyde, Belgian, Percheron or Suffolk. They only PERCHERON BROOD MARE. seek large, handsome, good horses, reasonably sound, with free action, and will pay good money and be glad to get them. They are all grand horses, and except for the heavily THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. 23 haired leg, or clean leg, no man can tell one from another. All are most valuable and come from one source. They have become what we see them by climatic influence, feed and environment. We must have weight to suit the city markets. A proud-stepping, vigorous, powerful Draught Horse, with beautiful form, is eagerly demanded by com- merce. Only high-class mares and the best Draught sires can produce such horses. Too many small chunks are bred. They fail to bring Draught- Horse prices, and their breeders then pronounce Draught- Horse breeding a failure. A requisite for the far- mer's horse is early ma- turity, or size and strength to perform much of the farmer's necessary work while growing or being fitted for market, and this without breaking down or being injured in any way l)y such work. He should be of medium size, evenly proportioned, with flat limbs powerfully jointed, but not coarse. Bays, browns and chestnuts are the favorite colors. Select animals with a swinging road gait that will draw two men a mile in four minutes, or ten miles an hour — a horse that can go fifty to sixty miles in a day without feeling it. The action should be courageous and free, and he should have bottom enough to repeat the performance as frequently as one may desire. It is not difhcult to get a high price for such horses. The man who has any Hackneys, French Coachers, or Cleveland Bays, is not far out of the way. IIE.\D OF DRAUGHT HORSE. 24 THE DIFFERENT KREEDS. There is no brighter possibility for the farmer than in breeding large, young native mares of amiable disposition to full-blood stallions, thus obtaining half-blood grades at slight cost. Such animals are as good for all practical uses as if full-bloods, and sell as well for all purposes except breeding. Why does not some enterprising breeder make a specialty of intelligence in horses, as has been done in the case of the CLYDESDALE. dog with marvelous results ? There would be money in the thing. Let the breeder of horses school himself to sell his stock for just what it is. He will quickly make a good name for himself, and be able to get for his really good horses enough to more than recompense what he loses in telling the truth about the poorer ones. THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. 25 A good riding horse should have a long neck and carry its head high. The rider wants to see some horse ahead of him. THE GOOD MULE, " It is a poor mule that won"t work both ways." Having made a business of rearing mules for market, I have learned many things concerning the breeding and use- fulness of this animal that those persons should have who are convinced he is a vicious and untrustworthy brute. To breed anything like the ideal mule, greater care must be exercised in the selection of sire and dam than is neces- sary in producing a model horse. How many ill-shaped, ugly mules we see, each the result of careless breeding! I have been taught by observation that more depends upon the sire than upon the dam in getting an ideal mule foal. Good points, however, come readily from both sides. Some men, in selecting a Jack, look to his height, and, for such, the more daylight found under him the better. What foolish men I The Jack must be low and heavily quartered, with large bone and a neat head. This sire will bring good mules nearly every time. Some men who own curby, heavy crooked mares say, "They'll do to raise mules." This carelessness, coupled with ignorance, accounts for the great number of degenerated hybrids. A mule possesses keener instinct than a horse, and for this reason is easily trained. He should be handled from the xery beginning of his life. A small leather halter should be worn about the stable for the purpose of holding him while being patted and rubbed about the head. This kind treatment will win respect for the owner of the most stubborn little hybrid for all future time. I have never found an ex- ception to this rule. I have found, however, that by tickling and teasing, it is easy to get an all-round kicker. The young 26 THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. mule should be bitted when rising in his second year, and harnessed to light work. I have never seen a mule that I could not train to be good and gentle by handling him firmly, but easily and quietly. A good, tough mule will usually show it when a stranger approaches him. He will be shy. This shyness is his staple virtue, and means snap. What is the mule best adapted to? and what is he not adapted to ? I use mules only on my farm and have no horses. The mule is harnessed for all purposes, from plow- THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. 27 ing in new ground to attending funerals — both solemn occa- sions. He has a swinging gait, peculiar to himself, that makes him a speedy animal for such farm work as mowing and raking, cultivating and reaping. He is especially well adapted to the coach, being sufficiently speedy and exceed- ingly plucky, and handsome enough for any king to sit behind. General George Washington, much noted for keeping handsome horses, was also an extensive raiser of mules. Among the hills of Pennsylvania, where lumbering and mining is so extensively carried on, the mule is king of the collar. In this county (Westmoreland) the mule market is always good. I am happy to say the tariff never affects our mule market very much. Among the mountains of Western Pennsylvania the mule is an indispensable beast, as much as on the cotton and tobacco plantations, and in the cane brakes of the sunny South. Speaking of mules, Rufus Mason says : To a young man courting a girl whom he suspects is not quite as sensible as she ought to be, he can go on horseback ; but the day after the wedding, trade off the horses and get a first-rate mule team. She won't dress so fine to ride behind mules; and, seeing that the mules are sensible and businesslike, she will have a good example before her. SHETLAND PONY. The Shetland ponies are from thirty-four to forty-four inches high. They are very hardy and strong, with long manes and tails. These are a protection to them in the cold climate in which they are reared. They have long and shaggy coats. After being in America a few years their coats become finer. The Shetland Islands, where they come from, are north of Scotland. The pasture is scanty, and the climate severe. This is why they have become so small. 28 THE DIFFERENT BREEDS. They will carry a full-grown man, but the trouble is to find a good place for the rider's feet. But they are just adapted to the boy and girl. A child will get more fun, physical development, and ruddy health to the square inch with a pony, than in any other way. The child who has a pony should be taught to care for it. In this way the little boy or girl can take in horse sense, and this knowledge of how to do things will be - 4! A FRIEND OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS. of great benefit to them. The pony will think more of them and they will think more of the pony. There is now a great demand for ponies, and there will be more as people find out how much good it is for the children to own them. The picture represents Sparkle, a beautiful specimen owned by J. Murray Hoag, of ^Maquoketa, Iowa, who imports large numbers of them. SHOWING DIGESTIVE APPARATUS.'^ I. INIouth. lo. Caecum. 2. Pharj-nx. II. Small intestine. J- Oesophagus. 12. Floating colon. 4. Diaphragm. 13- Rectum. 5- Spleen. 14. Anus. 6. Stomach. 15- Left kidney and its ureter 7- Duodenum. ' 16. Bladder. 8. Liver, upper extremity. 17- L^rethra. 9- Large colon. * Haines, after Megnin. From Prof. Michener in U. S. Gov. Report on Diseases of Animals. CHAPTER II. FEEDING AND WATERING. Observations on Feeding — Rules for Watering — Salting — • Feeding Conveniences and Watering Tank and Trough — General Notes. Of food and drink give me the best. From bridal treatment keep Die free ; Give me lohen tired a little rest, And see Jiow useful I can be. A horse has a smaller stomach than an ox and conse- quently it must be fed less at a time. It has less power lo digest coarse foods. It eats much slower, as it must do all its chewing before the food is swallowed. For these reasons it requires a longer time to eat and its food should be more concentrated. It wants only a little coarse food at a time. ]Most people feed too much rather than too little. Two pounds per day of hay and grain for each ico pounds of live weight, is usually enough for good working condition. A general all-round good ration for any horse consists of six parts bran, three of oats and one of linseed-oil meal. It is a grand combination for muscle, for work and for health. In cold weather com should be added, and the cornmeal, oats and bran may be of equal weight, still adding a little linseed meal. Feed a small amount of hay twice a day. There is no doubt that farmers generally depend too much on corn to feed their work horses. Corn is good to lay on fat, but muscle is what a work horse needs, to give which 32 FEEDING AND WATERING. oats are a much better feed. However plentiful corn may be, it should be fed sparingly. Lay on as much muscle as you please, the more the better, but a horse overburdened with fat is unable to stand as much hard work as one whose muscles are better developed. Great care and regularity should be given to watering and feeding. The water should in summer be clean, fresh and cool, and in the winter should be free from ice. Every horse should have cut hay, straw, corn-fodder, or wheat chaff, wetted and mixed with bran, at least once a day the year round. In the hot weather a horse should not be fed much corn. Bran and oats are much better. The more work the more feed, of course. The practice of feeding the horse when tired and thirsty is altogether too common, and then too with the extra thirst of a full meal allow it to gorge itself with water. When this is done the horse should remain quiet for a full hour before starting on the road or at hard work to get space for its lungs to play and its heart to beat, by the digestion of the food and its removal to the bowels. Did you ever get in your mouth or on your plate some potato that had soured in the hot weather? If so, you know so ething of the misery a horse must suffer when compelled to take all his food from a sour manger. Cut food, moist- ened, is very likely to sour the manger. The good horseman will always bend over it when tying his charges. Sourness is easily detected and easily cured by a pail of scalding water. A pinch of charcoal dust thrown in the manger daily will help keep things sweet and prevent acidity in the horse's stomach. If the horse eats lots of grain and does not do well, it must have sore teeth or a poor digestion. It is an easy thing to have the teeth smoothed so it can eat well. If the trouble FEEDING AND WATERING. 33 is in the stomach, feed less grain. Too much grain will often make a disordered stomach, and the animal will do better on less. The breath of a horse or any other animal upon its food is unwholesome. For this reason put into the manger only food enough for one meal. Meal is not a natural food for a horse which can chew well. They eat it too fast and it does not get enough saliva with it to digest well. The saliva is the first secretion in the process of digestion and it must do its part to have the food agree fully with the animal. Green forage crops must be fed with discretion and not largely at first, or the result will be profuse sweating, result- ing in weakness, and sometimes colic. It is never safe to turn horses with strong, unsatisfied appetites for green crops loose in the rank growth. Every barn should have a bran bin which should be re- plenished annually at the time when bran is low in price. Its cost per ton is usually as low or lower than that of the best hay. Bran should be fed liberally when the old coat is shedding, and each horse should be treated to a daily ration in summer. Its tendency is laxative, keeping the en<^''-e system cool, and its effect upon the skin excellent, prevent- ing surface irritation common among animals fed largely upon corn. Four quarts of bran with a pint to a quart of oil meal lightly saUed will appeal keenly to the horse's taste. Potatoes are an excellent food for horses during the winter, in connection with other food, keeping their bowels open and their skins loose. There is nothing better than sweet apples to help put a horse in fine condition. Give them four quarts at a mess three times a day with the grain. Few people realize the value of sweet apples as a relish for horses. 34 FEEDING AND WATERING. One of the most useful foods whether green or hayed is oats and peas. The crop is easily raised in large quantities on rich land well prepared, where one-half bushel of peas are sown with two and one-half bushels of oats per acre. As soon as the peas are in full bloom the fodder is ready for use, and all should be cut for feeding or drying before the peas are ripe. If it should happen to be dull weather and the crop matures, no harm has been done, because it can be cured, run through the threshing machine and straw cutter, moist- ened, and the ground oats and peas sprinkled over it. Experienced horsemen understand that with a heavy feed of oats, at night, and a light breakfast, a horse gets a reserved stock of muscular strength laid in in advance, and travels faster and further than one having a hearty morning feed. A warm bran mash does good occasionally. Don't let the bowels of any horse become constipated. A night pasture for work horses will help to cool their blood. Give them their grain ration just the same. There are a few horses whose stomachs will not tolerate rye in any form ; will either get colic or staggers. Rye is always a dangerous feed when given alone. Spasmodic salting is all wrong for any animal, and espe- cially for horses. It may cause colic, and often does. The horse eats too much salt at a time, if only salted now and then, and when this is the case the coats of the stomach and the bowels are irritated, and congestion takes place and ex- cessive thirst. The horse then drinks too much and a chill follows, and this makes more congestion and inflammation may follow, and colic and a set-back, if not death. What is the use of such doings ? It is just as easy, and easier, to be more sensible, and to keep salt before the horse all the time, and then it will partake as directed by its instincts, and FEEDING AND WATERING. 35 only a lick will be eaten. Prepare the horse for the con- stant supply by giving it a little every day for a week, and then no harm will come. Teamsters should feed their own horses, and every team- ster who takes pride in his team should handle the measure himself, and should make appetite and digestion of food a subject of study. Horses refuse their feed because of overwork, too little exercise, or because the food is net right in some way, sore- ness of mouth or teeth, or general faulty management. If the trouble is due to overfeeding, short rations for a day or two will remedy it. Food that is not eaten within a reason- able time should be removed from tlie manger and the ration correspondingly reduced. No animal should have more than he will eat up clean. When a horse refuses to eat and becomes thin and weak for no apparent reason, he should have some condiment to increase the appetite. A good combination is the following : Ground oats and corn, of each five pounds ; oil meal, four ounces; salt, two ounces ; a dessertspoonful of powdered gentian, and a small tea- spoonful of dried sulphate of iron. If the animal refuses the ration a little starvation will make him taste it, when his dislike will cease at once. Begin with a small quantity of this mixture for each meal, and increase it gradually until a full ration is being fed. Water your horse before you give him hay. Give him hay before you give him grain. Give the concentrated food last. His stomach is not large enough to hold all at once. The digestion of food is frequently badly retarded or pre- vented by mistakes in watering. Water should always be offered the horse twenty minutes before he is fed, and never less than two hours after feeding. The drink is rapidly taken from the stomach by the intestines, and the time men- 36 FEEDING AND WATERING. tioned is sufficient to distribute three or four gallons of water throughout the digestive tract, diluting the salivary secretion so as to supply all water needed for digestion of the food. When regular watering is practiced no water will be craved soon after food. To observe this method prevents the wash- ing of undigested food from the stomach into the intestines, where it ferments, producing gas and resulting in colic. THE BARN TANK. There is no greater convenience in and about a horse barn than water obtainable instantly and at wholesale. Many persons are not situated where they can have pipe water at command, and will delight in arranging a tank in the upper part of the barn which may be kept full by the use of a hand or power pump. This tank should have an overflow pipe so that it will never be filled so full as to make trouble. It need not be anything more than a cask well hooped and painted. A lOO-gallon box lined with metal will answer better, perhaps, in quickly supply- ing drink for the horses, water for sponging their feet and legs, washing carriages, washing the floors and windows, etc. A hose is a great aid to the rapid washing of windows, and with a tank in the loft one is as independent of city water works as of Niagara. In connection with the water system every one should have a slatted platform an inch or two above the ground, where the wagons may be drawn for washing. Here the water and mud are instantly washed away, so that the hands and sponge are kept clean avoiding varnish scratching, and the feet are not kept in a puddle. FEEDING AND WATERING. 37 FIG. I. The most economical troughs are those made from plank. Use //«t' plank two inches thick. The plank must contain no knots or wind shakes, nor large cracks. The excellence of this sort of a trough especially depends upon the way in which it is made. Two drawings will show best and cpiickest the right and the wrong way. Letting one part into another makes the trough tighter, and if let in as shown in Fig. I, and not as shown in Fig. 2, the trough will be made much stronger and more durable. The bottom is let into the sides also. Smooth the edges to be let in. Lay them against the plank to be grooved, make a mark close to each edge, and then saw just a little inside of each mark, so the groove is a little narrower than the edge to be fitted in it. Saw a long quarter of an inch deep and then chip out the wood with a chisel, making the groove of the same depth throughout. Paint the groove and edge with thick paint — brown mineral paint is cheapest and best — before they are put together. As Fig. I does not show the end piece let into the bottom, the reader is safe in concluding that the better way is to let the end of the bottom into the end piece. The bolts should be of iron, one-half inch in diameter. With the grooves they will hold the trough well together, and no nails should be used. Such a trough is durable. Bore a hole in the bottom of every trough and fit it with a hard- wood plug. Then the water can be let out of freezing nights. If a stout tarred strinaf is tied to the end of the FIG. 2. 38 FEEDING AND WATERING. plug and fastened to the top of the trough, the plug will not be lost, and one will not have sometimes to reach into cold water to pull out the plug. It pays to have plenty of good troughs about the farm. The horse that eats his grain too hastily is sure, sooner or later, to become a dyspeptic. Bolted food cannot be assim- ilated, and hence is worse than wasted, as it deranges and poisons the digestive organs. Some horses, whose stomachs are already out of order more or less, from the vice of too eager eating, will plunge their noses into the oats nearly to the eyes, fill their mouths and fairly crowd the food down their own throats. To prevent disease is always better than endeavors to cure it. Realizing this truth many a horse owner has tried in various ways to force a slow consump- tion of food in his stables. Some spread the oats in the bottom of a large manger; others keep a peck of small stones there, from between which the horse is com- pelled to pick his food. Good horsemen of Xew York state have widely adopted the slow delivery chute. It is built into the manger, as the cut shows, and reaches to within half an inch of its bottom. A metal manger should be used, or a wooden one lined with tin or iron, as a greedy horse will destroy it by gnawing because dissatisfied with rational eating. Colts brought up at such mangers will rarely become gourmands afterwards, and are doubly valuable lecause so seldom out of condition, with resultant colic, etc. It is a waste of time and increase of trouble to go into the loft whenever the horses are vo be fed. It is convenient and economical to cut a week's supply of hay at one time, say durincr a shower or when a change of work is desired. FEEDING AND WATERING. 39 The hay is not thrown down haphazard to create a dust all through the bam and set the horses coughing, but is cut into a chute, made dust tight with putty. This is located under the stairs in one corner out of the way, and a slope bottom renders every ounce of the cut hay easily available. To prevent clogging and increase the storage capacity, the chute was built larger at the bottom than at the top. CHAPTER III. IN THE STABLE AND AT WORK. The Stable Should Be Light, Clean and Free from Bad Odors ; the Floor Even — Grooming — Bedding — Conven- iences— The Good Teamster — Overloading — Trotting Down Hill. Feed vie on good oafs and hay ^ Give me drink three tiuies a day ; In the pasture let me play, Groom me ivell, for it linll pay. A good horseman cannot be too careful about his stable. It should be well ventilated, scrupulously clean, well drained, and have low mangers and a floor that never gets out of true from wearing by the shoes or settling of the building. There is no floor that is better than plank, all things considered, but it should not slope too much from front to rear, as is often the case. It is well to have the floor supplemented by a lower floor which has a more decided slope, the surface floor to consist of two to three-inch planks one-half to three-quarters of an inch apart, held in place by cleats or iron rods. This sur- face floor may be leveled up by resting on a thick cross- piece at the rear and a very thin one or none at all forward. The perfect stable floor should stop one foot or more short of IN THE STABLE AND AT WORK. 4! the manger, where the horse's fore feet come when he is feeding. Tliis space should be filled with earth, wh'ch is beneficial in cooling the feet, keeping the frogs healthy, and which he will paw to a level he finds most restful. The sub-floor must have a decided slope and be cleaned often by raising the level surface floor and sifting dry earth through it. Another good floor is made of solid concrete, two inches higher forward than back. On this is a slat floor for the ani- mals to stand upon. The slats are four inches thick at the rear and only two inches thick forward, thus making the floor level. The planks cover the gutter, making the stable neat in every respect. The stable must be light or the eyes will be injured. The air must be jiure or the lungs will be impaired. A foul stable will sicken the horses. The horse stables should be cleaned every day. Use plenty of plaster to absorb the ammonia, and see that the ventilation is good and that there are no draughts. It will certainly injure the hoi-se's eyes to take it from a dark stable into the glare of sunlight reflected from snow. The injury may be slight, and it may be serious. If re- peated, it may make the horse blind. The remedy is a. light stable. A light stable — made so by glass windows — is more healthy than a dark one. Sometimes slight settling of the barn will slope the stall floors toward the manger, or make them so level that urine will cause trouble. Besides rendering the horse more difti- cult to keep clean, the ammonia generated will be a dangerous admixture in the air for the animal's lungs and eyes. Any person who has used a scraper like the one shown in the engraving will never be without one. It 42 IN THE STABLE AND AT AVORK. is merely a 2 -foot board edged with lioop iron and fastened to a brace and handle. After thoroughly shaking up and re- moving the bedding no shovel will so quickly scrape out the stable. vSoaked bedding it is necessary to dry each day, especially in village stables. There is nothing that will so quickly ac- complish the purpose as the frame and wheelbarrow shown. Bedding may be placed upon this two inches deep, wheeled into the sun and wind and dried in an hour, as the wind penetrates it from below as well as on all sides. All that is necessary is a sound wheel. Pieces of scantling firmly nailed together improvise the remainder of the contrivance. A good hook for the harness may be made of a piece of inch and a half oak plank three inches wide and eighteen inches long. Six inches from one end a hole should be bored by which it is screwed to the side of the post or other upright. Near the outer edge of this beam a cleat should be nailed, on which the oak stick may rest when turned down. A heavy nail driven over its rear end will also help steady it if the weight be heavy. Of course, the holder may be shaped as neatly as one desires. When not in use it may be turned up out of the way. Careful and thorough grooming is almost as essential as feeding and cannot be dispensed with profitably. Many who care for their own horses detest the work, but largely because they do not do it in the easiest way, which is the most sys- tematic. Procure a well-made, rice-root brush, and with this in one hand and a currycomb in the other, start the job at the horse's TN THE STABLE AND AT WORK. 43 head on the near side. Never use the comb on head, mane nor tail. Carefully brush the left side of the head until it is clean and shiny. Then proceed to the neck, thence to the shoulders, using the comb now to loosen up the hair and dirt, and only advancing as the portion under consideration is thoroughly cleansed and beautified. Before touching the body scraj)e, brush, clean and smooth the left side of both forward legs. When all of this side has been well groomed down to the last hair of both hind feet, the tail must be carefully and persistently brushed. This done, proceed to the right side of the head and follow the formula given for the left side. If the head is difticult to groom satisfactorily, rub the hair the wrong way with the brush and then smooth it. This will soon conquer the worst case and do it agree- ably to the horse. Be gentle with the horses. Nervous excitement deranges the digestive organs. Worry the horse by voice or whip and he will be thin, no matter what you feed him. Even a horse appreciates a musical voice, with a kind intonation. In cleaning horses after coming in from work, or in the morning, if the floor back of your stalls is large enough to clean horses in, they should be cleaned there in preference to the stall. Put a screw-eye in the wall up as high as you can reach, tie a hitch rein with a snap to it ; right opposite to this, in the stall post, put another screw-eye or screw ring, lead your horse out and snap the hitch rein in the side ring of the halter, then tie the halter rein in the ring opposite. Vou can get around him without trouble, and if he should happen to be a biter, he can't get at you. After going over his body with currycomb, take a com- mon broom and brush all the dust off of him you can. It will take out lots of dust in a short time. If your comb is new and teeth sharp, run a hie over them a few times. 44 IN THE STABLE AND AT WORK. After brushing, take a cloth and go over him from head to heel, pick out his feet with an article like this, called a foot hook (one side is a hook about an inch and a half long, the other chisel-shaped), and he is ready to go to his stall. Horse's feet should be examined every day. The second illustration is called a scraper, for taking off sweat or mud. It is made of hard wood about a foot long, one inch wide, sharp edges and slightly bent near the end. An old piece of grass matting is a good thing to take mud off the legs with. To dispose of your horse's foretop, if heavy, try parting in the middle before putting on the bridle. Fetlocks may catch and hold mud and ice and be harder to clean than clipped ankles, but certainly they keep off wind and prevent direct contact of ice with the skin ; there- fore, don't bare the ankles. If frozen in tags they may be cleaned and dried quickly by dipping in hot water and sawing with an old sack. It is easier and more speedy than rubbing. The heat produced will leave the fetlocks dr}'. The old feed bag, too full of holes to be worth mending, is good for nothing, eh ? Saw the wet and muddy legs of the tired horse with it, and see how dry and clean they will become. The labor isn't great, but the results are. No brush will take the dust out of a horse's coat and make it glisten like a stiff broom in the hands of a strong, energetic man. Its handle must be cut off to two feet. It seems to afford sufficient leverage so considerable power may be brought to bear on the coat. During the shedding season, use only an old and dull currycomb. A sharp one will inflict pain, a thing the humane person will avoid. IX THE STABLE AND AT WORK. 45 There is nothing so sweet, clean, and economical for the horse's bed as sawdust, where straw is too expensive. Tan bark and sawdust mixed also make a good bed. Never tie a horse so long that he can put his head on the floor. If he can put his head down he is likely to roll and get cast. To get horses from a burning barn or stable, when panic- stricken, put the harness on them and they can then be easily and safely removed. If no harness is at hand one's coat or blanket thrown over his head makes him tractable. The way to hang the lantern in the stable is to stretch a wire tight overhead far enough behind the horses to be out of the way, and to attach a hook to this wire on which the lanteni is hung — and have the hook so loose that it will slide along easily. \Vhen this is done, the lantern will not be upset, and danger from fire will be lessened. Do not get it into your head that a man can work a team and take the right kind of care of them, or anywhere near it, and do a lot of chores, say milk nine or ten cows, feed and water fifteen or twenty hogs, cut all the wood, etc., and whoever expects it is very apt to be disappointed. That is, when the team is doing hard work every day that is usual on a farm in the busy season. The intelligent reader will not be slow to see the advan- tages of the idea of the illustration herewith. The horse or colt that is accustomed to getting cast in the stall, can be prevented from doing so by the use of a strap fastened to a joist overhead, so that the animal cannot get its head quite down to the floor. This device is necessary in some cases, and is effective. IN THE STABLE AND AT WORK. 47 There is a great difference in methods of managing horses to get from them the best and longest service. Some men invariably drive rapidly, regardless of the condition of roads; others not only drive with consideration, but continually guide the team so that the wagon will avoid all stones and heavy ruts, making it a constant endeavor to husband the resources of the horses. Rapid, careless, and often inhuman driving will wear out the best pair of horses in one-half the time they will serve efficiently and profitably in the hands of a rational man. Don't be deceived into believing that because you own a horse you may treat him as you choose, no matter how cruelly. To such a statement every impulse of merciful humanity rises in opposition. Every State Humane Society remonstrates, and has the arm of strong law on its side. The penalties for abuse are heavy. And it is right. Better go twice than to overload the team. This over- loading is a most frightful cause of unsoundness. When loaded, stop often. It pays. There are lots of fools who drive horses, and one of the biggest is the one who makes the horse trot down hill. It hurts the horse, as it jars the shoulders, and may bring paralysis of the muscles and nerves and to cause sweeny, or shoulder soreness. It also weakens the tendons and 48 IN THE STABLE AND AT WORK. *' springs" the knees, and then the animal cannot stand erect on its fore feet or hold back down hill. There is always more danger in going fast down hill if anything gives away. A horse should always be taught to go carefully down hill, and not pellmell. Make haste slowly for the first mile or two when starting out for a drive. Try it, and see how much easier and more satisfactorily your horse will accomplish whatever is re- quired of him. Do the horses seem to sweat easily at their work in the spring ? They are not hard yet. Be easy with them for a few days. As Pat says: "Be aisy; and if ye can't be aisy, be as aisy as ye can." Don't let the colts and young horses get discouraged with heavy loads. Better go a few more times, or hire in a day's work, than to spoil a promising team. When your horse is heated from riding or driving do not let him stand in a draught, and, if very warm, rub him briskly all over with a coarse towel or wisp of straw and cover him with a light blanket, which will absorb the perspiration and prevent a chilling of the surface. Never whip a horse when he is frightened. Be cool your- self and he will soon gain confidence. The nippy air of winter makes the horses frisky. After the confinement of the stable they want to go. If a rein should break their going might be serious. Perhaps the sewing of some of the splices has begun to give way. Bet- ter see about it. Bring the horse up to the hitching post with his head from the wind. He will not get so cold as if his head is toward the wind, and he will stand better. The horse will stand more quietly while you are hitching him if his head is from the wind. HORSE MAXIMS. Tim says : TJie 7iervoiis Jiorse sliould have less oats and more bran. The collar viiist not be too -unde nor too short. It does a horse a wonderful amoniit of good to rub its legs a few minutes after a hard drive, 7uith a zooolen cloth. Give the horses a feza potatoes in their feed occasionally. They are good for horses and bad for ivorms. The blanket is for outside the stable, not in it. If the horse in the stable is so cold as to need a blajiket, he should be given a better stable, and not a blanket. When a horse has free access to salt it seldom has colic and very 7'arely is troiibled with bots. Cultivate a cheery tvay of speak- ing to your horse. Some horses that are cross and lazy, be- cause growled at and punched in the ribs taitil sour and discouraged, Tuill prick forward their ears and folknu them in a hearty, glad manner that is surprising when they are kindly and encouragingly urged. If a horse eats his bedding use sazvdust or fine tan bark. Don' t drazu your haiues too close at the top ; better have them zvide so as not to pinch the horse'' s neck. CHAPTER IV. WHIMS AND VICES. Managing the Balky Horse — Tail-rubbing — Kicking — The Puller — Pawing — Rolling in the Stable — Tearing the Blanket. For a balky horse the only persuaders that should be allowed are the spade and post. They should be carried in the wagon and the spade made to set the post at the horse's head wherever he makes his first stand. Here he should be firmly tied without unharnessing and left until thoroughly tired of standing. If he will not go on then without the whip he should be left several hours more, always without food or drink until he finds he is punishing himself, which almost any horse of intelligence will conclude after standing from thirty to thirty-six hours. When the poor beast does start amiably, he should be praised and petted without stint. After a horse has reached twelve years of age, and perhaps balked and been abused for it most of this time, it may be doubtful if he can be reformed. Some teamsters start a balky horse by taking him from the wagon and making him turn around in a short circle until giddy. If he doesn't go after the first dance of this sort re- peat the process. To cure a horse of rubbing his tail, wash the dock with warm water and good yellow soap (not soft soap), and thor- WHIMS AND VICES, 51 oughly well dry the part with a clean coarse rubber ; the rubbing to be kept up until the part is not only dry, but well warm with the friction. Also inject a little sweet oil into the rectum. Then apply a liniment made of new milk and spirits of turpentine, in the proportion of an ounce of the lat- ter to eight ounces of the foiTner. If the horse kicks the sides of the stall he can probably be broken of the habit by hanging a smooth stick of wood from the joist above by a rope, so that when he indulges his vice, his feet or legs will strike the stick. This will put it in mo- tion ; it will swing back and forth and take his attention so he will forget about kicking. This is a pretty sure cure. There is no escape for the puller tied in the following manner, and the tie will in time break the bad habit : Make a slip-noose of a strong manilla rope and place it around the animal just forward of the hind legs, having the noose on the under side. Then pass the rope between the body and girt,' next between the forward legs and through the halter ring and post and tie to the girt. After the puller has set back on this novel tie once or twice he will find he is only squeezing himself unpleasantly and that without breaking a halter or doing any damage. If the horse paws in the stable, turn it out every day for a run in a yard. When driven every day it will not paw, un- less fed irregularly. If you cannot stop your horse bolting his food by putting a handful of shelled corn in his manger, give him cut hay with ground feed. He will masticate that. To prevent a horse from rolling in the stable : Fasten a strap to the ceiling above his shoulders, letting the lower end hang about two and one-half feet from the ground. Fasten a ring to the top of the halter, put a snap on the end of the strap, and snap into the ring. Simple but safe. 52 WHIMS AND VICES. To prevent a horse from tearing the blanket with his teeth, a leather shield, as shown in the picture, is sewed to the halter which does not interfere with the animal eating, but does with its habit of tearing its blanket. The shield should extend four inches below the nose. The habit of shying may come from timidity or defective eye- sight. If the latter, it cannot be entirely cured ; if the former, gentleness and good sense in the driver will in a great meas- ure overcome the difficulty. Never whip a shying horse past the object which frightens it. This only confirms the habit. Go slow ; let the horse have time to see the object and learn that it will not hurt him. A very bad habit in a horse is that of sudden starting when harnessed, and often leads to broken traces, swingle- trees, and to runaways and smashups. The fault is usually taught the horse by a fool driver who cuts him with the whip unexpectedly. A vice of this kind, in a horse that is afraid of the whip, is rarely cured, but may be mitigated by gen- tleness. Running aivay is the worst of vices. Carelessness is the mother of the runaway horse. \Vhen the fault is once established it is difficult of cure. All runaways, or horses hard to hold, should be only used with a safety bit, one that will be severe enough to make it painful to attempt to run. By the careful use of such a bit some horses may be grad- ually cured c ' the habit of running away. CHAPTER V. HARNESS HINTS. Halters — The Collar — Blinders — In Fly-time — Triple Reins — Leading a Broncho — A Harness Closet — What Harriet Says. HALTERS AND HARNESS. Many a horse is lost or seriously damaged by halters that are unsafe, because weak or improperly constructed. Pullers are the result of breaking away. A horse that is tied with a halter made like No. I will rarely continue to pull. It is like the ordinary halter, excepting that the chin strap is double, and the ring is placed on but half of it. The instant the horse attempts to pull NO. I. he finds his nose suddenly compressed and his breath shut off. The unpleasant sensation ceases at once when he stands up to the post and behaves himself. This is an effective halter to place on halter-pullers. No. 2 is made of a single piece of rope, can be constructed in five minutes at a cost of five cents, and is extremely handy where one suddenly desires a number of halters for sending away horses that have been sold. It is not a safe night halter, as it is liable to . NO. 2. be rubbed off. By attaching a throat strap to it, however, it may be made to serve satisfactorily for some months. 54 HARNESS HINTS. A safe and neat tie is a good strap or rope, with a snap on one end. Tie the strap to the post, pass the snap through the bit, over the horse's neck, and snap into the same bit- ring. Any attempt to get away draws the bit towards the crest of the neck uncomfortably. The good road halter is the simple one drawn. The muzzle piece is a slip-noose, and the only other strap goes over the head back of the bridle, so it cannot be worked off. Throughout it is made of inch and a half heavy leather, and pull- ing only compresses the horse's mouth. It is quickly and easily put on, even with numb hands, and is tasteful for ladies' use. Don't tolerate a road halter with a short tie strap. Keep the collar clean. Oil it once a month, the rest of the harness twice a year. Clean the leather before you apply the dressing — twice as much neat's-foot oil as beef tallow, with a dash of castor oil, no lampblack. Oil to the harness increases the wear of both it and the horse. A good plan of haltering horses is shown here. Put a staple on the outside of the manger, put the halter strap through this, and tie the end of the halter to a block of wood below the staple. This will always keep the slack taut. Take the horse to the harness shop, and do not buy a collar that does not fit. A slight misfit may be overcome by making a cut where it M'ill be covered by the hame and removing some of the padding. The collar will not be injured. HARNESS HINTS. 55 An unnecessarily cruel thing about a harness is a tight throat strap. Don't leave it so loose that the bridle can be rubbed otT during fly-time, but see that it does not press the throat when the head is up, thus cutting off the breath, stop- ping the blood and causing a swelling of the throat glands. It is cioiel to make a horse work in a hard, ill-fitting collar. How do you like a shoe that causes blisters, corns and bunions on your feet ? In the name of all that is humane, dispense with the old flapping blinders that have long ago lost shape and straps to keep them in place. They endanger the sight and are a source of discomfort to the poor beast obliged to submit to such cruelty. Take your jackknife and cut them off. The only horse that should have the overdraw check rein is the one that is hard-mouthed and pulls on the lines, or the one that continually jerks on the lines to loosen them. Such horses are greatly improved by this rein. Take the fasteners from an old overshoe and sew or rivet a five-inch strip of leather to the same, and use for horse- tail tie. In fly-time, put a big crupper pad under the tail of the horse, big enough to raise it up so the animal cannot hug it when it switches over the reins. This is a simple contrivance and a safe one. Put buckles on this big pad and buckle it under the back strap, the same as the regular one. When under the tail, the horse cannot hold the rein. Here is shown the way that shy bronchos are led behind a wagon in the far West. Take a half-inch rope, lay the two ends together and tie a knot about five feet from the other end 56 HARNESS HINTS. where you see A. Now lay it on so that the knot is in the center of the horse's back and his tail over the rope, put the ends through the halter ring at C, one rope being on each side of the neck, and tie the ends together to the wagon. You may be sure that the animal will lead and not pull back the wagon. Horses if tied in this way in narrow stalls can be cured of halter-pulling. Triple reins are easily made and are sometimes needed on the farm. Have the harness maker make the extra check lines the right length ; and then put them on the buckle of the lines in use and you have them in good shape. The ring and snap should be used on all the lines. In driving four horses abreast use the usual checks on each team, and put a short "jocky strap " on the inside horses, from bit to bit. DD A HARNESS CLOSET. Few things have a greater tendency to preserve harnesses than neatness and order, whose prime essentials are careful <;leaning and careful hanging. No good horseman throws his harnesses on the floor or carelessly over a hook in the open barn or stable. A tight closet, where all the har- nesses, saddles, sponges, oils, wrenches, and other stable requisites may be kept away from ammonia, dust and light, is a great economy. Its first cost does not need to be great if one possesses an old door. A W HARNESS HINTS. 57 few feet of matched lumber will quickly take the shape of the closet shown, in almost any part of the barn, if the manipulator has a little ingenuity. If the lumber is old it should be liberally puttied and painted. The habit of put- ting in this closet ever}'thing which will make the bam look untidy will soon give the owner a reputation for neatness, as . well as lightening the drain upon his pocketbook for things lost or spoiled. Harriet Biggle says: Hang itp the halters uihere they can be foioid in the dark 071 returning from a drive. Knots in the traces look bad for the man ivhio ties them. Keep the harness strong in every part or there may be a break a^oay from houie, a rnna^cay, and somebody hurt or possibly killed. Don't try to ft a horse to the collar. It zvon' t 7vork. Fit the collar to the horse. In oiling harnesses luhich have been neglected, a better supply can be put on more quickly, reaching to every rusty buckle, tongue and crevice, with a small pointed brush, than with any otJier appliance. Be sure the blinders do not rub the eyes of the horse. Cover the bits with s?nooth leather for ivinter use. Spring- devices attached to the whiffletrees are very bene- ficial, especially in plowing stony ground. In their use the jarring is overcome. Use them on all heavy wagons also. The horses appreciate them. CHAPTER \L AILMENTS AND REMEDIES. Most Ailments Come from Improper Feeding and Watering — Importance of Having a Good Teamster — Worms — Indigestion — Colic — Sore Shoulders — Choking Distemper — Heaves — Dysentery. IVi^/i food don't stuff me, yet stint me not ; Give me luater to drink when I am jiot too hot ; Then come 7C'hat may, F 11 fail yon not. The majority of horse ailments may be traced, directly or indirectly, to improper feeding and watering, careless man- agement in the stable and in harness. A careless driver is a very frequent cause of loss. On the contrary, a driver who is a close observer of the team in his charge, noting every move made and understanding the ani- mals' requirements and ability, rarely has a sick, lame or galled horse. For this reason, to place a cheap man over a good pair of horses is the height of folly. The man getting one- third more wages, who is a good teamster, which in- cludes the terms " good manager," " close observer," and "humane," will much more than earn the extra money paid him in increase of work performed, decrease of grain, med- icine and repair bills, and length of the horses' period of usefulness. There is no reason why a first-class team, six to eight years old, should not serve continuously and satisfac- torily for a term of twelve to sixteen years, if properly pro- tected, fed and looked out for. AILMENTS AND REMEDIKS. 59 If, from improper care or feeding, or from some unavoid- able cause, your horse is out of condition, you should dose him with little medicine and much common sense. The horse that allows himself to be caught lying down may be considered out of condition or lacking sufficient nu- tritious food. A quart of linseed meal divided into three feeds and added to his grain daily will do him much good and help a quick shedding of the coat. If a horse cough, dampen his hay, wet his mixed feed, keep him out of a draught ; after exercise blanket him. Keep hot poultices of bread and milk or oil meal on the neck of horses with throat Disteniper ; change them often. In severe cases rub the glands and muscles with spirits of turpentine and camphor. Look out for Scratches. Many a horse is ruined by allow- ing the legs to go dirty. It takes only a few minutes to wash them clean and rub them dry. If the skin begins to crack it must not be left or it will become almost incurable. The skin must be kept clean and soft. Cut the hair off short and paint it over with chloride of zinc and water — thirty grains to one pint of water. Put this on once a day and rub with glycerine. Horses having greedy appetites, rough coats and poor condition may be suspected of Wo}-)iis. Such animals often pass long, round worms. Copperas or tobacco will clear the worms out of the stomach of a horse. x\ tablespoonful of copperas for two days and then stop for two. A handful of tobacco dried and made into powder and mixed with the grain. Give this for three days and then hold on for a few days. For worms in the rectum a syringe must be used. Salt and water is good ; carbolic acid diluted fifty times in water, or, what is better, thymo-cresol. This would un- doubtedlv be a good internal remedv for worms, diluted one 60 AILMENTS AND REMEDIES. to fifty parts of water. A tablespoonful of the tliymo- cresol diluted with a quart of water would make a good dose as a worm exterminator. Some horses, although having a good appetite, remain gaunt and thin from hidigestion. They should be given some strong purgative, like Barbadoes aloes, combined with powdered ginger, one-half ounce ; Glauber's salts, one-half pound, dissolved in a quart of water. When the intestines have been thoroughly cleaned by this process, give daily the following powder : Sulphate of iron, three drachms ; sul- phate of soda, two ounces ; nux vomica, ten grains ; ginger, one-half ounce. This powder may be continued daily for a month. Give all the rock salt the animal will lick. Spas7nodic Colic begins suddenly. The horse stamps im- patiently, looks backward, soon paws, and then rolls. After an interval of ease the pains return with increased severity. Give chloral hydrate, one ounce, in half a pint of water as a drench ; or ether and laudanum, two ounces each, in lin- seed oil, half a pint ; or sulphuric ether and alcohol, two ounces of each in eight ounces of water. If nothing else is handy, give of whisky half a pint in hot water. If not re- lieved in one hour repeat any of the doses prescribed. The body should be warmly clothed and sweating encouraged. Dip blankets in hot water containing a small quantity of tur- pentine and hold them in place under the body with dry blankets, or rub the abdomen with stimulants or mustard water. If cramp is clue to irritation in the bowels, a cure is not complete until a physic of aloes, one ounce, or linseed oil, one pint, is given. Soapy or salt water aid the cure when used as an injection. IVind Colic is caused by feeding after long fasting, or when the animal is exhausted by driving, or by new grain or hay, too much grain fed, or by sour or indigestible food. AILMENTS AND REMEDIES. 6l The horse seems dull, paws, and the pains are continuous. The belly enlarges, and when struck in front of the haunches sounds like a drum. If not soon relieved, difficult breath- ing, sweating, staggering and death follow. Give alkalines to neutralize the gases formed. No simple remedy is better than common baking soda, two to four ounces. If this fails, give chloride of lime in half- ounce doses, or the same quantity of carbonate of ammonia dissolved and diluted with oil or milk until relieved. Chloral hydrate is particularly useful in both wind and spasmodic colic. Horsemen would be wise to keep it ready for emergencies. Physic should be given in flatulent colic, and turpentine, one to two ounces, with linseed oil, eight ounces, frequently, to stimulate the motion of the bowels. Colic should not be neglected nor the patient left until certain of cure or death. For Sore Shoulders in horses, the best thing is to have properly fitting collars. If the surface galls under the collar wash with salt and water at night and with clear water in the morning, and protect the spot with a pad under the collar. If the skin breaks use a lotion of one drachm of carbolic acid to one quart of water twice a day, and relieve the horse from work for a day or two. It is cruel to work a horse with a raw sore shoulder. Choking Distemper prevails at times in many parts of the country. It is sometimes called spinal meningitis or putrid sore throat. The animal often falls down paralyzed, cannot arise, and if left prostrate is almost sure to die. He must be got upon his feet, and if he cannot stand must be swung. A majority of cases are fatal. It is caused by some specific poison taken into the system with food or drink, mostly the former. Dirty mangers, rotting roots or meal, and mouldy hay, especially meadow hay, are usually the medium by which the disease is acquired. The moral is to have every- 62 AILMENTS AND REMEDIES. thing sweet and clean that the animal eats and drinks, and have no decayed matter in the entry or in any other part of the barn. The pecuhar movement of the abdomen and flank, point to Heaves, and a cough usually accompanies it. There is no cure for the established disease. Careful dieting will relieve the distress, but this will appear as bad as ever when the stomach is overloaded. The best quality of food lessens "heaves." Food that is too bulky and lacks nutriment, has much to do with the disease. Feed affected animals only a small quantity of hay once a day, and invariably water at least fifteen minutes before feeding, and never directly after meal. Work right after eating aggravates the symp- toms. Carrots, potatoes or turnips, chopped or mixed with oats or corn are a good diet. What bulky food is given should be in the evening. Medical treatment is worth less than dieting. A predisposition to the disease may be in- herited. If Dysentery exists, place the horse in a dry, well-venti- lated stable, rub the surface of the body frequently, and keep it and the legs warm with blankets and bandages. The food must be light and easy to digest, the water pure and in small quantities. Give first, castor oil one-half pint and laudanum two ounces. The strength must be kept up by milk punches, eggs, beef tea, oatmeal gruel, etc. A GOOD PULLER. CHAPTER A^L AILMENTS AND REMEDIES — CONTINUED. Glanders — Gorged Stomach — Lockjaw — Choking — Hooks — Lice — Knuckling — Ring IjOJ^e — Spavin — Scratches — Itching Skin — Overdriven Pace. IV/ien cooled and rested. Give me zvater and feed ; And P U uiillingly serve you In time of need. Whenever a horse is seen to bleed or emit offensive mat- ter from the nostrils, Glanders is suspected and treatment should not be attempted. It may be a dangerous case, which is fatal alike to man and beast. A veterinary sur- geon should be called. Gorged Stomach results when a horse has been fed after a long fast. The small stomach of a horse is so distended that it is unable to contract itself upon its contents, a mo- tion which is necessary in digestion. The horse becomes stupid, slight colicky symptoms are observed, and he carries his head low and extended. As he grows worse he paws, becomes delirious, is covered with cold sweat, trembles, slobbers, staggers and drops dead. Treatment is difficult. A purgative of Barbadoes aloes, one ounce, should be given at once, followed by Cayenne pepper, one- half ounce, or Jamaica ginger, one-half ounce. If the bowels can be stim- ulated to act, they will in a measure relieve the stomach. For this purpose use turpentine, two ounces, and linseed oil, eight ounces. 64 AILMENTS AND REMEDIES — CONTINUED. Horses liable to Staggers and Fits should have harnesses that are carefully adjusted, and should not be pushed in hot weather. No heavy feed should be given them at any time, oats and sweet hay or grass being the best. Such animals should not be driven when it can be avoided. When indi- cations point to an attack, the horse should be stopped, his harness loosened, some cold water given him to drink and his face sponged at the same time. Rye is a bad feed for sleepy staggers. Lockjaw is caused by cuts, nail in the hoof, etc. Nothing is so common from wounds in the feet and from docking. The horse is unable to open his jaws to the fullest extent, and masticp'.tion is impossible. Various muscles twitch, the head and tail are elevated and the nose protruded, and the anus is compressed. The animal swallows with difficulty; saliva flows from the mouth. Of course, in this disease the ne- cessity of calling in a skilled veterinary surgeon is indi- cated. A horse which is frequently or occasionally overtaken with Giddiness or Megrims is dangerous to use. This trouble is hard to cure. It indicates the need of moderate driving, es- pecially in hot weather, and that a small amount of hay should be fed. Horses that are Choked thrust out their heads, bend and stretch the neck, while there is a copious flow of saliva from the mouth. In some cases there is distention of the gullet on the left side of the neck, if it have descended so far. If it be in the upper part of the gullet a man accustomed to giving balls may be able to reach it withhishand. Obstruc- tions that have got lower down may be moved upward gently from the outside. Sometimes an obstruction is soft and may . be crushed small enough for the animal to swallow it. A mass of meal or other impacted food is sometimes removed AILMENTS AND REMEDIES CONTINUED. 65 by frequent drinks of water, and a drench of olive or cotton seed oil can do no harm. The plan of reaching a whip or heavy piece of rope down the gullet to push the substance into the stomach is risky, in the hands of one not accustomed to the anatomy of the horse. Lanipas is usually an imaginary trouble. Very rarely does the membrane directly beneath the upper front teeth congest and swell enough to interfere with feeding. When this trouble is feared there is no c^uicker nor surer cure than feed- ing a little corn in the ear. When biting off the kernels, the horse naturally compresses the membrane or forces it back. The burning of the lampas is cruel and unnecessary, and if the swelled parts are cut, the cut should not be deep, or danger will result. There is a widespread delusion that Hooks ^ so called, is a dis- ease affecting the horse's eye. A barbarous custom among cruel men is to forcibly destroy the membrane which keeps the eye free from foreign substances, but the cruelty does not accom- plish the desired result, though it may injure or destroy the eye. The obstinacy of the membrane simply shows some- thing to be wrong in the anatomy of the horse, just as the tongue will indicate to the observing physician when the stomach of his subject is out of order. To cut or disturb the hooks in the eyes is as absurd as to doctor the tongue instead of the stomach in the human case. Remove Lice by rubbing the animal with a solution of sulphate of potassium, four ounces, and water, one gallon, or with strong tar water ; or dust with Persian insect powder ; or the skin may be sponged with benzine or quassia chip tea. Any of the applications must be repeated a week later to destroy the lice hatching in the interval. All blankets should be boiled, and the stalls painted with turpentine, and littered with fresh pine sawdust. 66 AILMENTS AND REMEDIES — CONTINUED. Knuckling, or cocked ankle, is a condition of the fetlock joint which resembles partial dislocation. The trouble is not considered unsoundness, but it predisposes to stumbling. Foals are quite subject to it, and no treatment is necessary, as the legs straighten up naturally in a few weeks. It is caused in horses by heavy and fast work, and is produced sometimes by a disease of the suspensory ligament, or of the flexor tendons. This should be relieved by proper shoe- ing. The toe must be shortened and the heels left high, or the shoe should be thin forward with thick heels or high calks. A Splint may be rubbed off and the work aided by putting on a liniment, but few would persevere in the rubbing long enough to make a cure. A blister will do it. If the Fetlock be Sprained, and the injury slight, bandage and apply cold water frequently. Where the lameness is intense, and the swelling and heat great, the leg should be kept in a constant stream of cold water. When the inflam- mation has been subdued the joint should be blistered. Ring Bone is an osseous exudation or bony deposit at the crown of the hoof. When its presence is first detected the place should be severely blistered once or twice, or red iodide of mercury applied. If this fail, firing with the hot iron in the hands of a competent surgeon will be necessary. If you have a suspicion of a Spavin coming on your horse, employ a good veterinary surgeon. Heroic treatment is the only thing in such cases. Judicious firing, strong blistering and perfect rest for at least six weeks or two months, and good nursing will, in most cases, arrest the disease and cure lameness. It is the result of too great exposure in draught or speed, or from slipping and kindred causes. Scratches or grease is frequently proof of carelessness in clearing stables, and includes poor ventilation. The trouble AILMENTS AND REMEDIES CONTINUED. 67 may result from condition of the blood, from unwhole- some fodder, or work in irritating mud or dust, especially of a limestone character. It has been brought on by using caustic soap on the legs, clipping the heels in wintertime, by debilitating disease, etc. The first step in a cure is to remove the cause, and if there is much local heat, administer a laxative like a pound of Glauber's salts. Highly-fed animals should have their rations reduced, or replaced by bran mashes, flaxseed, fruits, roots, and other non-stimulating food. Bitter tonics are essential also, and may be continued six weeks to two months. If the skin is unbroken, bathe with water, one quart, in which sugar of lead, two drachms, is dis- solved, or annoint with vaseline, one ounce, sugar of lead,, one drachm, and carbolic acid, ten drops. To clip the hair from the horse's heels and poultice them with grated carrot, night and morning, is sometimes beneficial. P>ee exercise is important. Rub the heels dry and apply equal parts of glycerine and compound tincture of aloes. The treatment for IViiid Galls consists in pressure by means of bandages and by cold lotions. Blistering will remove them. Capped Hocks are reduced in the same manner. There is no treatment that will surely avail in the cure of String Halt. For Itching Skin, wash the skin thoroughly with carbolic soapsuds, and give the horse a half pound of Glauber's salts daily for a week. Do not feed him any grain but wheat, scalded bran and linseed meal, three quarts of the former and one quart of the latter, fcr two weeks. There will speedily come a change. Card him daily. Scald his oats and give him salt daily. Feed oats, bran and linseed after the two weeks and scald the whole mess. When horses are covered v;ith bunches or lumps, their blood is out of order. 68 AILMENTS AND REMEDIES — CONTINUED. Give doses of Glauber's sails daily and hot bran mashes. Give salts a half pound daily. A gill of raw linseed oil every day will be good, mixed with the bran. The horse which eats its own excrement does it for the acids it contains, which are voided in it and in the urine which it has absorbed. Give such a horse a pinch of cop- peras, bone dust, salt, ashes and saltpetre mixed in its meal once a day. A few days of pasturing is good. Horses snort and wheeze because of an enlargement of the glands in the nostrils. A skilled veterinarian can remove the trouble by cutting it out. Doctoring will not cure snor- ing or M'heezing horses. The air passages are stopped. A twenty-year-old horse was not doing well. Upon examination his front teeth were found to be so long that his grinders were kept from coming together, and he could not masticate his food. His teeth were filed off, and the sharp points evened with a float, and he is now doing as well as any of the younger horses. Watch the teeth of the old horse. An experienced horseman, if human, will not push his horse beyond his strength by O-i'ei-riding ox Driving ; still at times an indiscreet driver will bring an animal to the verge of extinction, when it is well to know what to do for him. The symptoms are plain in the audible breathing, staggering gait, exhausted appearance and heaving flank. The girts must be removed and the face turned toward the wind, the animal being protected from the sun meantime. The head must be left free and the limbs and body well nibbed. The movement of the ribs should not be hindered in any way. A few swallows of cold water may be allowed, and, in hot weather, the mouth, forehead and face may be sponged with it. When sufiiciently revived the horse should be slowly led to a comfortable box-stall and heavily blanketed, woolen bandages being wound about the legs as well. If AILMENTS AND REMEDIES — CONTINUED. 69 the horse has fallen he must not be allowed to lie until he voluntarily gets up, but must be propped up on his breast and not allowed to lie flat on his side. Heat exhaustion is some- what similar in symptom and demands similar treatment, with the addition of throwing cold water over the animal, particularly wetting the head, and causing a current of air to pass over him that evaporation may take place. NEVER SICK A DAY IN HIS LIEE. CHAPTER VIII. DOCTORING. Giving Medicine — Medicine Ball — Injections — Physic — Condition Powders — Ending a Horse's Life. ^Nlany inexperienced horsemen know nothing of how to give a horse nredicine. vSome who can administer a drench have never tried balling. Many get bitten who try, so it is best to be careful. Hold the head high, reach the fingers into the animal's mouth just back of the forward teeth where there are no teeth, and no danger of being bitten, and grasp the tongue, pull it out gently, and as ycu do so the horse will open his mouth, allowing the tongue to loll between the grinders. The medicine ball may then be safely pushed down the animal's throat as far as the hand can be made to reach, for the animal will not attempt to close his jaws while his tongue is between them. Two persons, one to administer the medicine, while the other is holding the tongue and head, will accomplish the desired object more quickly. The throat should be watched carefully, and the animal not be allowed to lower his head until he is seen to swallow. The tongue should be pushed back into his mouth as soon as the ball is put well down the throat, as it will assist in the swaP lowing process. Horse balls usually come wrapped in tissue paper, and should not be unwrapped before adminis- tering, as it prevents bad taste in the mouth. The giving of a drench is so easy and common as not to need description. The medicine should be shaken well with DOCTORING. 71 half a pint of water, and poured into a wide-mouthed heavy glass bottle that the horse cannot easily crush. Having se- cured the head and tongue as described in " administering a ball," turn up the bottle in the horse's mouth, holding the head so the contents will run down his throat. Remove the l)ottle after pouring in about four ounces. If he does not swallow at once, gently close the nostrils for a moment, or tickle the roof of his mouth with the finger nail. This will cause him to move the tongue and before he knows it he will have swallowed the mixture. If coughing occur or the bottle be crushed, lower the horse's head immediately. Injections should be small in quantity when for absorp- tion, and at a temperature of 90 to loo degrees. They should be introduced only after the last bowel has been emptied by hand cr by copious enemas. Clysters are given usually to aid the action of physics, and should be in suffi- cient quantity to cause the animal to eject them. Warm water, salt and water, or soap and water, one gallon or more at a time may be given every half hour. It is best that they be not discharged immediately. Liquids maybe injected by means cf a large syringe, or by a simple funnel made for the purpose of a two-quart pail or pan seven inches in diameter, to which a pipe sixteen inches long is soldered at right angles. This pipe is introduced into the rectum and must be made perfectly smooth and be oiled before U::.ing. Pour the liquid into the funnel rapidly after it is inserted, and the bowels will Vje drenched as quickly and effectively as by a more complicated arrangement, and in safety. Or a common funnel and rubber pipe will answer a better purpose. Be- sides those described, there are few or no other methods for administering doses that are necessary or safe enough for the novice to attempt. 72 DOCTORING. An excellent physic ball for a horse is made of powdered Barbadoes aloes, seven drachms, powdered gentian, two drachms, and sufficient s}Tup to stick it into a hard ball. The ball should be three or four times as long as its diameter. When a horse has been physicked severely he should not have any hard exercise for several days, but should be walked a little every day and allowed to stand in the sun. Bran mashes should take the place of his regular ration for three feeds, water often, but sparingly, even if thirsty. Condition powders for horses are not only expensive and undesirable, but frequently unsafe as well. Recent analyses of condition powders selling by the package at the rate of ^i,ooo per ton, have been found to contain linseed meal principally, with small quantities of camphor and other drugs, more or less harmful, in var^-ing amounts, the mix- ture not costing the manufacturers over S28 to $30 per ton. As a natural tonic for the system, the safest and best condi- tion powder peraiissible under all conditions is good food, perhaps placing linseed meal at the head of the list of grains. It imparts strength and tone to the system, nourishing the nerves as well as the muscles, acting like a gentle laxative upon the bowels, mellowing the hide, glossing the coat, and removing it betimes in the spring. No prescription is bet- ter than the following, as a rule : Dried sulphate of iron, two drachms, powdered gentian and powdered fenugreek, of each four drachms, all in one powder, to be put in the feed night and morning for three weeks. There is danger in using many of the advertised tonics and condition powders wdiich contain arsenic. These bene- fit animals at first, but not permanently. How to poultice a horse's leg is often a problem, espe- cially when the poultice must be kept at a point high up or arching. A bag is prepared a little larger than the leg, and DOCTORING. 75 with no bottom. Around the lower edge a puckering string is run in to tie around the leg. Next, cords two-thirds the length of the bag are made fast to the top of it, and then sewed to the bottom, so the lower third pouches below and outside of the puckering cord. The top is held up by cords fastened to old harness, kept on the horse. The poultice is poured in, a bountiful quantity being used. Such a bandage will hold it in place without waste or failure unless the injury itch or pain severely. Then the animal will use its teeth upon it, if allowed to reach it. If animals must be killed, humanity requires that it be done in the quickest and least painful manner. For shooting a horse, place the pistol muzzle within a few inches of the head, and shoot at the place marked above by a dot, aiming toward the center of the head. If it must be done by blows, blindfold, and with a heavy axe or hammer strike at the same spot as above. Two vigorous, well directed blows should make death sure. Be careful not to shoot or strike too low. If there is no other way to get rid of dead carcasses cover them with earth a few inches deep and burn them. The earth will absorb a good part of the gases and when burning put on more. When all burned, cover up well with earth and then mix the mass and sow it broadcast on any land and ■jt will tell wonderfully. Spare me up and spare vie doxvn. But spare me not on level ground. MARE ^lAXIMS. John Tucker says : Don t breed scrubs. If s loicked. If we breed our colts in the autuinti ^oe reduce their cost, /is the mare can do team zoork all summer. The same mare to the same horse and all the neighbors doimr the same thimr unll p;ct the matches. Jllares bred at home, not traveled, are more sure. In many cases it would be better to take the viare to the stable of the sire before the time of heat and leave her a fezo days after service. Anyzoay, she should be walked all the zoay home. The old mare should be kept breeding, for if you skip over a year she viay not conceive again. Mares will breed usually till t^uenty, and often for years after. We would not risk feeding rye to mares itt foal, as the ergot lohich is so common in rye acts directly on the womb /znd titerus. Ergot is a poison. If you have a colt arrive, don't feed the mare largely on hay for a week or tzvo. Give her nourishing and more con- centrated foods. Her for jn 7vill be better. Pick otit clean legs and a good temper, as well as perform- xince and pedigree, if you are buyijtg a mare to breed. Heavy mane and tail look pretty, but seldo7n are marks .of a good horse. CHAPTER IX, MARE AND COLT, Have an Aim in Breeding — Breeding Farm Hordes — The Foal — Feeding the Cok — General Observations. A good mare will pay the mortgage. Keep the trotter notion out of your head. Trotters make mortiiatitute can make good. Having been prepared, preparation of the shoe is next in order, and it should be made to conform to the foot. Who- ever is not sufficient master of the hammer to fit the iron to the foot instead of burning the foot into the shape of the iron, should not be permitted to handle horses' feet. The best of nails should be used, and three nails well set on a side are usually as good as four. The use of thin plates during eight or ten months of the year is preferable to thick shoes with heavy calks, except upon the feet of horses forced to travel slippery pavements and haul great loads. lOO SHOEING. Another fault is fitting the foot to the shoe, frequently using a shoe that is too small and rasping down the foot to fit it. This is a diabolical practice, fatal to the last degree to the life of the foot. The rasp should have no place in a farrier's kit, unless it be for leveling the walls. The weight of the horse should be borne upon the walls, whose edges should rest upon the shoe. If these walls be rasped away, and the weight thrown upon the sole, and the outer covering of the foot destroyed so it will dry up and soon become in- capable of holding the nails, what can be expected of the foot? An excellent plan for helping horses with contracted feet is followed by a New England farrier with most beneficial results. It is to level the upper surface of the shoe at the heel before attaching it to the foot, the inner circle to be one- sixteenth to one-fourth of an inch higher than the outer circle. It will be seen that the walls of the foot rest thur. upon a surface which tends to spread them constantly. As a result of this continued relaxed condition at the heel, the frog is encouraged to grow, the bars to develop, and in a few months the heel is seen to be changing its condition materially. His unalterable rule is, ''Never use the knife to open the heel." Horses compelled to wear shoes should have them reset as often as every three to four weeks, not alone for the com- fort of the horse, but that his feet and general constitution may remain uninjured. Insist upon small nails being used, and as few of these as possible. The holes for the nails should not be made too near the edge of the shoe. If pxmched further from the edge they take thicker and lower hold of the walls of the hoof, and do not need to be driven so high as to approach the sensitive part of the foot. With a perfectly level bearing, three nails on either side will hold the shoe firmly. With uneven fitting, however, the shoe I02 SHOEING. soon works loose. When the shoe has been fitted and the nails clinched, insist that rasping, painting or oiling the foot to improve its appearance or make a neat jcb be left un- done. In its natural state the entire hoof is kept covered by a secretion which cannot be improved upon by man, and which preserves the moisture of the foot. To destroy this by mixing with it some foreign compound, or to cut off the minute tubes which constitute the shell of the foot, is the worst of folly. Interfering may be prevented at times by proper shoeing. The outside of the heel and quarter of the foot on the in- jured leg should be lowered slightly to change the relative position of the fetlock joint, thus carrying it in such a posi- tion that its mate may pass without striking it. A very slight change will produce this result frequently. The offending foot should be shod so that the shoe, and especially the responsible point, is well under the hoof, and the shoe should be reset every three or four weeks. Frequent wet- ting of the injured parts with cold water or salt and Avater will remove the soreness and swelling unless the part is badly calloused. A Spanish fly blister may then be neces- sary to reduce the leg to its natural condition, and may need to be repeated in two or three weeks. When a horse is in the habit of forging or striking his hind feet against his fore ones, careful attention should be given to the shoeing. It is due to quick action behind and slow action in front. Shorten the toes of the fore feet and put on light, nicely fitted and turned up shoes. Do the same with the hind feet, but put on shoes somewhat heavier than the fore ones. By this arrangement the horse will pick up his fore feet quicker and the hind feet slower, thus ac- complishing just what is wanted. If a quarter of a second of time is thereby gained the fore foot will be clear out of the way of the hind foot. 1 ^lAXIMS. JMost Jioi'scs 7i^ BAR N DOOR A home-made device for locking rolling stable doors which requires no key, and yet which is securely fastened, is shown in Figure i. Have a string go through the wall to raise the catch on the inside. A verj' simple and cheap home- made latch for the barn door is shown in Figure 2. A, B and C are sticks of hard wood two inches square. In A and B are cut notches at D and E an inch deep for the FIG. I. bolt C to slide in. The bolt is also •cut down, as shown in the drawing, sufficiently to allow it to work freely even in damp weather. Screw the pieces A and B to the inside of the door. Bevel the end of the bolt C at H at such an angle that when the door shuts, and the bolt strikes the jamb j the bolt will be pushed back and fall into the slot in the jamb by its own weight. Put a strong pin in the hole of the bolt at K, and make a slot in the ■door for this pin to work in. Keep the bearings well greased. Perhaps a better bolt, but one a little harder to make, is shown in Figure 3. In it A is a spring made of hickory or oak and set into the end of the bolt B. At c is a fiat strip of wood, which goes through the bolt and through a slot in the door to open it from the other side. The bolt is beveled at the end so that it will slide back, and the spring will throw it into place every time, no matter how hard the door may be slammed. A pin at D will prevent the bolt going too far. If your barn doors are cut through at the middle, as they should be, the hickory spring A could FIG. 2. ABOUT STABLES, 123 be continued up above the top of the lower door and the pin C dispensed with. This is a good arrangement where chil- dren are around. While they can push back the pin and open the door, they are not able to reach to the top of the door and push back the spring. Have a place for everything, and, what is of more impor- tance, see that everything is put in its place. Neat and convenient hooks for the stable tools and brushes will save time and temper, aside from keeping ever}thing orderly about the stable. The little illustration speaks for itself. Herewith are given the ground plans and elevations of three different stables, in which those contemplating building or altering may find some helpful hints even if the plan is not adopted in full. The stables may be con- structed of whatever material the builder may desire, and as the localities in which this book will be read are so widely separated, and the price of materials consequently so variable, it is impossible to give any accurate estimate of their cost. For the reason that we have not room to give the plans of large general-purpose barns, the plans given are those of stables alone; but the arrangement or suggestions in the drawings may well be followed in planning quarters for horses in large barns. There are many people living on small lots and in villages who need stable room for only one horse and perhaps a cow. The stable here shown is an excellent one. The framework of the whole is 18 by 25 feet. The carriage room is 9 by 18. A foot or two more in its width would not be amiss and would then give space for the carriage, sleigh, lawn-mower, etc., besides room for unhitching in stormy weather and for 124 ABOUT STABLES. cleaning harness. By the way, the harness should be hung up on pins in this room, away from the ammonia generated in C>CkCP1A^C| ELEVATION SHOWING SMALL VILLAGE STABLE. the Stable. The horse, as will be seen in the plan, can be taken directly into the stable without going out-of-doors. Straw and hay are stored in the lofts above, reached by the flight of stairs, as shown. The arrange- ment of the loft may be according to the wishes and needs of the builder. The plan of the stalls without an entry in front, as shown, while very common and economical of space, is not a good one if it can be avoided, as all the feed has to be carried in alongside of the animal. When a cow is kept in a stall of this kind there is always danger of her throwing her horns around and injuring her attendant. irl o " w J 111 -4 i ^ HI 'O - N ' , 't;i..; i PLAN OF SMALL VILLAGE STABLE. ABOUT STABLES. 125 Some may prefer a hinged door to the carriage room, but the rolling one has the advantage of never blowing about in a high wind and is easily opened and shut under all circum- stances, including a big snowdrift right up against it. The plan has been drawn to the scale of sixteen feet to the inch. The second plan and elevation show a stable larger than the preceding, and is one designed by a member of the Farm THREE-HORSE STABLE. Journal staft. It has been in use for several years, and has proven to be very satisfactory and convenient. There is stabling for three horses, and by doing away with the harness- closet four may be accommodated. The covered driveway in front will be found almost indispensable — for hitching and unhitching, for washing the caiTiage on the washpave, (shown in the plan,) for cleaning the horses, etc. The harness-closet should have been shown with a window in it, and should be made as tight as possible of tongued and grooved boards. The stairway leads up from the entiy to the second floor, which contains a good-sized room for the man to sleep in, a storage room for grain, a mow for hay 126 ABOUT STABLES. over the carriage room, and one for straw over the stalls. The hay is thrown down the chute into the entry, and the straw down the chute back of the stalls. The location of the chutes is shown by dotted lines. The manure pit is conveniently placed just alongside of the back door, where drains in the cemented floor of the stalls lead the liquid manure. Either end of the shed may be boarded up if necessary to make it more protected from storms. This plan has also been drawn to the scale of sixteen feet to the inch. The third stable shown is much more pretentious, having accommodations for seven horses and half-a-dozen carriages. There is a good-sized harness-room, a large areaway for inside ungearing, two box stalls, a good-sized feeding entry, watering trough, a ventilating shaft, and other con- veniencies. Under the stairs leading to the second floor there is a closet. The second floor furnishes abundance of ABOUT STAHLES. 127 room for the man, storage for hay, grain and straw, and a. carpenter's room for working in on rainy days could be easily located. The box stalls open on the outside as well as into the stable. STABLE FOR SEVEN HORSES. In this plan the space devoted to carriages could no doubt be advantageously reduced, as the room shown is about 26 by 32 feet. In conclusion, it might be said that each builder should make the measurements which are best suited to his wants. These plans are merely presented as suggestions and aids in the arrangement and location of the different essential parts of the stable. INDEX. Age of a Horse, how to tell, m. Ailments and Remedies, 58. Balky Horse, the, 5c. Blanket Shield, 52. Breeds, 13. Breeding Farm Horses, 76. Capped Hocks, 67. Choking, 64. Choking Distemper, 61. Colic, Spasmodic and Wind, 60. Colt's Education, the, 83. Condition Powders, 72. Corns, 94. Digestive Apparatus, 29. Distemper, 59, 61. Docking Horses, 108. Doctoring, 70. Driving the Colt, 83, Dysentery, 62. Exterior of the Horse, 10. Fast Walking, 86. Feeding and Watering, 31. Fits, 64. Foot, the, 90. Ciddiness, 64. Glanders, 63. Gorged Stomach, 63. Grooming, 42. Halters for Pullers, 53. Halters, Road and Stable, 54. Harness Closet, 56. Hay Chute, 39. Heaves, 62. Hoof Cleaner, 44, Hooks, 65. Horse Tie, 54. Indigestion, 60. Injections, 71. Interfering, 102. In the Stable and at Work, 40. Itching, 67. Kicking, 51, 86. Killing a Horse, 73. Knuckling, 66. Lampas, 65. Leading Horses, 55. lice, 65. Lockjaw, 64. Mare and Colt, 75. Maxims, 11,49, 74> ^9^9^, 103, no. Megrims, 64. Navicular Disease, 93. Overexertion, 68. Paddock, Stallion, 78. Parts ol the Horse, 10. Poultice, how to, 72. Puncture of the Hoof, 93. Remedies, 58. Ring Bone, 66. Running Away, 52. Salting, 34. Scratches, 59, 66. Shoeing, 97. Sore Shoulders, 61. Spavin, 66. Splint, 66. Sprained Fetlock, 66. Stable Floors, 40. Stables, 115. Staggers, 64. String Halt, 67. Syringe, 71. Tail Rubbing, 50. Thrush, 94. Troughs. 37. Tying the Colt, 85. Vices, 50. Watering, 31. Wind Galls, 67. Worms, 59. 1