F~bruary, 1920
HE LA~DS\VOMAN
Farm
the
on
Horses
The Care of
Method of Trcati1t!] Hor.,cs.-A horse should l>c
k in which
no hranch o f f arm ,., Or
. kl
_.d •. 11 rk 1~ mor. e-..<:ential nr more qmc y
00
~
"
k · f
ho 'bC
rt'l'ald t hun in the can· t)f the \n~t~ mg a~:Ub lt.lt~
· .,t onco uJRcovcreu Y
\ ftOod hot""c" ornan IS
....
l
J
1-l f 1
ll {•r<)c>J1Wd cart hor~c and the c can
"''''
e< . "t• ...,
harne... that she J~ able to turn out.
. .
It i-- not m< rt•ly a. q uc tion of appearance ; ~t IS
.. imply tht\t to do the heavy, constant work req mr~d
f hint mran~ that the cart hor8e must be kept 1~
~he bc<~t po sible conditiOn. To be ·• m goo
. · " - th"t
c11n d nwn
" 1 · ~ • to be tit and r<>ady for all the
d
drmand~ ma.dt> upon htm-dcpend~ upon goo
{f'crling, good groomin~, and a conf,ta.n.t care of a ll
ddai}'l of a horse's well· being. A begmner should
know that no point of detatl 1~ too small, and
should learn fr,,m the firtit to be alwayf' on the
\\atch for the· least ~:~tgn of Illness or lamene8s.
t;, 00 ,nillfJ. .A farm horse 1~ kept m stables
dunng th<' \~mter months, and lies out at night
during th<• warm summer months, .and in otther
c,be hf' n qUJres a thorough groommg before he
rroes out to work. Ap~rt from the pleasant result
~I a ~IOS'3J roat. no hor .. e can remain in good health
w1thout groommg.
H(' should 'he brn'lhccl \\ith the body and dandy
oru~Sh, tnkm~ rare to brush hts coat as 1t hes
naturally, and not against the gram of the hatr
The h( ad bhould be gi..en spec1al a.ttentwn, and
the mane and tail kept free from scurf and dirt.
\\'h<·n thi~ is not don<', tt horse begins to rub both
mane an d tat! O\Hng to the irritation of th<' ~curl,
nnrl i~ c1uic·kly disfigured.
The hair on a cart horl)e \; l"'gs (feather) must be
k<·pt \\ell 'hrushed and clNl.ll. 'fh(' hoofs should b€'
looked at t" ice· a day at least, to two that the .shoes
are not loost nr that thC're is no injury of any sort.
\ o long ti trw i;; nE'e d~>d for the morrung grooming.
l111t <·,nnpl<•tc• ·l ttcntlon to and mten~st in the work
.tre et~·wntin l.
Fe••dwy.- TlH· working horso should be fed not
h•tc•r than 6 a. m., 1:10 that ho may have plenty of
time t o dip:<'~t his breakfast hef ort> going out to
"'"rk; and agnm at tntd-da), <'ither in stables,
when th<· custom i8 to take dinnor-tJme off, or m
n no&<·· ha~ m tht• field when t h<'ro is only one
unhttchin~ in tht> day. The thinl feed should be
Ill the en·ning, when he I'Oturns from work.
\Vh1lc in stables his food should conl:!ist of oats,
<'haff and hran. mangolds, and long hay. Chaff,
,,r '' chop,'' is stra \\, t'lth.er wh<'aten or oat, ne 1~er
brtrl"!J, dutiT<'d in a chaff cutter. This is fed with
the oat~ to h<'lp di~E.>I'.tlon and to increase the bulk.
Th<' qunnht~ flf oats fed to each horse should vary
\\ith the nmount and kllld of day's work before him.
A house n he
is r<'quired to shift from o ne side of the box or RtnJl
to the other whilst bemg groomed or frd. Urcat
car<' should be taken in leading a h orse in or out of
stable to see that he d oes not knock his head in a
low doorway or hit himself anywhere, as ho will
easily become " stable shy ,, and difficult to got in
or out. Ordinary care and common sense will
prevent this, and indeed most oth<'r accidents
which lead to trouble.
Care at Work.-A horse should be fully harnessed
in his stall or box. First put on the collar and
hames, then the breeching, and last the bridle
and reins; do not let the rems drag on the ground,
and be sure that the hamcs are fitting close to th<'
collar and will not slip.
When a horse comes in from work, if he has been
sweating, let him stand for a. little time in his collar
before it is taken off, as this will prevent sore shoulders.
Then take the collar off and thoroughly clean it
and dry it ready for next time. Sore and wrung
shoulders aro very hard to cure and arc a constant
source of annoyance on a farm.
The horse should he put quietly into the cart or
wagon, and harnessed up and taught to stand
quietly untu all is ready for the start. If he does
all his work quietly and without rushing he will be
all the more ready to try some new job that is
expected of him, such as going in the mower or
bmder for the first time. Any symptom of lame-
ness should be at once reported t o tho master or
anything unusual in tho condition or appear~ncc
of the horse, e1ther at work or in stables. A horse
mo.y becom.e su_ddenly very .lame indeed by picking
up a stone m hts hoof, and It is a lways well to look
first and see if this has happened. The stone
s~ould be taken out at once, but sometimes, if
hghtly wedged, this is not an easy matter. Force
can be used on the stone, but the sole of the hoof
must not be bruised, or further trouble will result.
Leather sh? uld be kept well oiled and pliant,
both so that 1t doe~ not rub the horse by its hard"
ness and to make 1t last longer, since dry leather
rots o.~d breaks. The brass work should reflect
the pr1de the good horsewoman has in her work,
an_d the hames should be kept clean. A little bath-
brick and oil is a cheap and good way of keeping
steel . Parts, such as the hames clean
Harnoss
clcanmg should be done on wet days or· some time
that does not interfere with outdoor work.
SYL VIA 0AL:\fADY-HAl\tLYN.