PRODUCING BIG HORSES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 10 June 1924, Page 9

PRODUCING BIG HORSES.

INFLUENCE OF FOOD AND SOILS

(By IT. Williamson, V.S.E.D., Waimate.) Within the limits of its breed, the size, bone and substance of a horse depend verv much on the way it is fed while it is “young. No feeding would, of course, give a thoroughbred tho bone of a Shire or Clydesdale, or mako a Shetland pony grow as big as a hackney, but the 'influence of the food upon the size and substances of horses is just as striking as it is upon cattle. It is a common experience that Jersey or Ayrshire cattle, brought from their native country and bred in tho midlands of England or on the chalk soils of the south, soon develop into very much bigger, heavier-boned cattle than the parents that were bred in their own district. This change is largely duo to tlio greater amount of phosphate ot lime obtainable from the clovery herbage of the good Midland pastures, or from the clovers and sanfoins of the chalk downs, and it is also assisted by the larger quantity of albuminoids obtainable from such herbage. The same applies to horses. The Shire horse and Clydesdale, with its big bone and heavy, muscular body, originally came ,front the „Shircs...(wlicn I say Shires, I mean Lincolnshire, England, that part of the Midlands where the soil is full of phosphate ol lime, and the rich pastures are full ot clovers'). The Shetland, the Exmooi and New Forest ponies, all.came from districts where the soil is almost entirely without lime, and where tho natural herbage contains no clovers. There arc districts not only in England, but-in the colonies, where these horses fail properly to develop, as many breeders know, and if the soil" of thost districts is analysed, it will be found to be deficient in limei, and tlio herbago of the pastures Contains little clover. •On the other hand,, many attempts to breed Shetland or Exmoor ponies out. of their own districts, have resulted in failure, because these ponies, grow too big and coarse; and, if the nature of the soil had been investigated, it would have been found to contain very much more lime than the soils of Shetland or of Exmoor, arid to be capable oi growing clovers in the natural herbage.

FOOD AND SOIL These facts are. worth, thinking about because, as a main principle, they provide us with some of the reasons of success and failure in horse-breeding. Horses that are to grow to a large size, with plenty of bone, must have abundance of phosphate of lime, and albuminoids in their food; horses or' ponies that arc required to keep small and fine in the bone, must be bred and kept on soils deficient in of lime,, and on the ndtn’bal /Clovel's" that .■ would supply them with .abundance'of albuminoids. Jieyond this statement, wo are no further concerned -with, the small horses; it is, the production of big muscular, wide-chested, strong-boned horses, suitable for farm and town work, that interest us more. Fortunately, the production of hoayjr, strongboned- horses-' is ’ still' possible on - fdrms and soils not .naturally suited to the purpose, but in this case the feeding must provide for their requirements, fso important -is a sufficient supply ot flesh and bone-forming materials foi the growth of any horse, that-there are probably few farms where it would not pay to take special precautions to see that these are provided in sufficient quantity. The albuminoids or fleshformers", are.. provided naturally in clovers, sanfoins, lucerne, or tares, either green or as hay, and as -corn, they are provided in beans (25 pei cent.), or peas (21 per cent.). Oats contain only about 1U or 11 per cent, of albuminoids, so that, although useful,. they arc. not generally sufficient by themselves, while barley, and maize both contain still less. In summer, it will only be upon the poorer pasLires, deficient in lime, that young idle horses may not be abler to provido themselves with the shortage which may be considerable if means ave'not taken to sup ply the necessary albuminoids as dry food

BONE FORMATION. Mineral matter for bone formation may be deficient all the year round on these 1 imcless pastures, for neither the green liergaW nor the hay is likely to contain enough. -The cluef deficiency will be limey - for many plants contain a fair amount of phosphoric acid without the proper, quantity of lime- for bone formation. To supply lime, alone, tfio best material is pounded chalk, and H is found that providing about one oi two ounces per; day in the food. will meet the requirements, of "most animals in this respect."' It' is; however, probably better to provide a sufficient quantity of soluble .phosphate of lime, and this is most' readily" done by giving, from lmlf. to threpquarterS of an ounco of steamed, bone Hour per day, or by, giving iour ; to six .ounces of fish meal, which will provide phosphate of lime as well 11s some albuminoids. Many sue cessful horse-breeders at Home ■ uso mixtures containing bone mcal,.,or.,sonlc other form 'of phosphate of limp, ...tot their young horses, ■ with considerable success, but t)ie practice is not common as ’it should be. „[t.is also' : ''worth noting that the, qSq,Td.j.P PIT?rIiST I \ V • materials should' commence with -the mare wliile she is carrying the foal, so that it 'may be born with the largest amount of bone possible. . Also, _as marc's milk is none too well provided with mineral matter, it is often p advisable to sec that 'tlie mare is given a little phosphate of- lime in her food, particularly if in the loose box, or even when at grass, where the soil is. pai ticularly deficient in lime. A suitable mixture, for giving to in-foal _ brood mares in' the stable would be oU per cent, crushed oats, 25 per cent crack, ccl beaus,-10 per" cent, peas, and lo pet cent, dried grains,- and with each 10011) of this mixture, there should be added 4 lb of finely ground steamed bone meal, nibbed up'with lib of barley meal, so as to prevent' it falling out of the mixture. If ,the mare is given 101 bto 1-lb of tlie mixture per day, as her ordinary workin <T allowance of corn, along with hay, she will be getting sufficient albu minoids and mineral matter to nourish both herself and her foal properly, i wonder how many breeders or farmers vou will find in the colonies do tins. I can hear some of the knowing ones sav. “Oh! We can breed horses here on natural grasses, without any pampering.” Yes, that’s all very well, so far as breeding something that will go between a pair of shafts, but one wants something better than that. It ono cannot afford to breed a good one, don’t breed at'all. Raise a horse cheaply, and you raise a cheap horse.

FOR. THE YOUNGSTERS. To feed, to weaned foals, .yearliuge and two-year-olds m fife winter, an excellent mixture ior growth pioduotion is 60 per cent, crushed oats, 20 tier cent, cracked beans, and lo jx» cent, dried grains, and high grade fish meal, ■') per cent. This, given at tho rate of 21b to 41b per day, with a little hay according to the weather and the quantity of grass _ available, will be found a first class growt.i producer, as it supplies both albuminoids and phosphate of lime in suuicicnt quantity to meet all likely merits. 'Whether it is necessary to iced any of tho mixture in Rummer t.ependa upon circumstances; but those tanners whoso land is deficient in lime, ami who wish to breed useful cart-horses, will find it advisable to dress their pastures either with lime and supeiphosphate or with basic slag; for both ot them not onlv encourage the growth ot clovers, hut increase, the percentage o! phosohatc of lime contained in t.m herbage. The*.. point* are worth move at tout inn on tin* part ;>i than they usually obtain, am! it is the big, well grown hoisc that pays tlvo Lesi for breeding