WHEN TO WATER HORSES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 325, 4 January 1911, Page 6

WHEN TO WATER HORSES.

Prof. F. W. t'v.hor, <\doiado, says: A horse slmubl 1 c ivaici'wl before feeding and never given a large quantity of water after a meal, for the simple reason thai the water will wash the food out of i ht_" .stomach before stomach digestion has taken place, and the food will not he well prepared' for absorption ; and, he-

side it is sometimes the cause of colic. There is a popular idea that a warm horse should not he allowed to drink, and, unlike a great, many other popular ideas, there is a little truth in it. If you water a warm horse in the ordinary way, let tin.? ■;iiu drink all he will, you are likely ■o lave a foundered horse on yo.ir :ands. This is especially so if, at tho time, the horse is fatigued. Nevertheless, it is always safe to ■:!iov bim from six to teii swallows, no matter how warm he is. If this is givm on going into the stable. :vnl he is allowed to stand and eat hey for an hour, and is then offered vvatcr, he will not drink nearly so much as he would had none been given before. Tb° danger is not in tlie first swallow, as we often hear it asserted but in the excessive, quantities he will drink if not restrained. The iiHi-'t dangerous time to give a horse a full draught is when he has cooled down from fatiguing work, and has partaken of a meal. The general custom, almost universally followed, of giving the morning meal before water is not very objectionable, either theoretically or practically. At this time there is no depletion of fluid, consequently the horse is not very thirsty, and does not drink rapidly or excessively, and apparently very little evil results from this method. Ib.wcvcr. 1 much prefer that the horse should have an opportunity to drink before the morning meal.