THE HORSE.

Waipa Post, Volume XIX, Issue 1054, 12 February 1921, Page 7

THE HORSE.

On the average farm the working horses are fed from long troughs. The reason, no doubt, is that the system saves both time and labour, two points which certainly merit consideration, hut which, according to veterinary authorities, are not sufficient to justify the continuance of the procedure. The custom of feeding many horse from long troughs is not only wasteful, but it also leads, as every observant farmer must have * noticed at different times, to the bolting of food by the greedy, aggressive horses, and the under-feeding of those weaker or slower in eating. Where the bolting of food is persisted in it involves imperfect mastication, and prevents the animal concerned from deriving the full benefit from its ration, as much as the food is passed through the system improperly digested, often with serious results. As a New South Wales Departmental expert emphasises: With teams continually on the move, long trough feeding may be unavoidable; but in standing camps and on farms, the extra labour and cost involved in providing partition rails should be more than recouped by the economy in food and lessened risk. The use of nose-bags is worthy of greater consideration than it receives, for they provide a method of accurate feeding, ensuring extra feed to those animals which require it. The idiosyncrasies of various animals with regard to diet are worth studying, as a ration that will keep in condition an animal with good digestive powers may not be sufficient for other horses, and the same might, apply to a very slo.w eater. Peculiarities of this nature can be known and dealt with only by the man in charge of the horse. .