THE MARE AND FOAL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1263, 14 May 1896, Page 5

THE MARE AND FOAL.

I A. South Australian farmer, Mr J. I B. Rowe, off-rs some practical remarks on this subject in a paper read before j the Arthurton Agricultural Society. | Too often, he remarks, the mare is expected to rear the foal until six mouths old and work a greater part of the time, the, same as any other of the farm workers, and with no better feed. The i result is she gets poor and weak ; while i thefoal,instead of thriving, is a stunted, j miserable thing, in the same condition as the mother, no matter how well bml. At the end of six or seven months it is weaned and turned out into a paddock with other young horses, to pick ami do for itself, where there is very little i'ofd, so that it has no time to grow into a shapely animal, but instead is all legs and head. The mare with a foal should receive every care and attention j in the form of good food either indoors or out. If she i.s worked give her a little extra and better food, so that she is kept in good condition, and she will rear the foal well. At the end of six or seven months it will be fit to wean and able to bear the change. To continue what has been begun also, the foal will need tola; placed where it has good feed, or else fed at least once a day with a little hay and. say, lialf'-a gallon of oats or food that is as good. Then at 2 years and 0 months old there is an animal worth looking at, with a good constitution, plenty of spirit and lit to be broken in. When breaking in it should have a little the, advantage of the older horse If too free it is a goal plan to tie it back, which is very simple, especially when worked between two others. Take a short strap, say, about 13 inches long, get a round ring (a hames ring will do) and place it in the middle of the strap, then double it and rivet together just so that the ling has room to work. Then fisten or rivet the strap on to the rings of the bit, one on either side, sj that the strap wiil conn; round under the jaw like the head-siall. Get another strap four or five feet long, put a spring hook on one end, fasten it to the, ring of the off side horse's ha me ; get another strap ai o it six inches long, a buckle on one end and a spring hook on the other, and pi ice it on the near side horse's hame ; run the long strap through the ring pLc d on the youngster's bridle an I buckle it to the short sir tp This em lie regulated at will, while the horse em move his head either way. If the animal requires stirring up, do it quietly, so as not to excite the young one more than is necessary. Hvery o -re should be taken to sec that the collars arc kept clean, both fur old an I y mug horses. Their

shoulders should be cleane I before putting on the colbirs, and also looked to again at dinner time. Some say tin's is too much work, but it pays. Then as to feeding, it is better to feed a horse twice than to put in a great heap for him to pick over and be sickened of, as he will eat better when the feed i.s fresh. A horse treated in this way and worked fairly will at ten or twelve years only be in his prime.