POTATOES FOR HORSES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 263, 5 June 1880, Page 2

POTATOES FOR HORSES.

In his book on “Small Fartos,” Feargus O'Connor telle a story ot horse feeding which we will rescue from oblivion, without considering much the value of O'Connors’ experience. He says:— “Some years ago a relation of mine purchased a two year old filly, the produce of a pony mare by a stolen leap, tne breed of which had been in the

family for a grout nd"‘h' r The name of this gentleman was tj, Rev. John Henry Madras, and tl history ot the filly was this: bhe was fr upon boiled potatoes an l nothing els, and his son hunt’d lief from bree year old to six, astonishing the field penonnanci - , and she was a wars r ** € at the end of the day than any othe horse. I resolved np n having th i nn - 'nTirP WI It* 11" T?SB 81. msre at any P nte ,u . years old, and I tempted the owner wit a large price and lunght her . Iwa sceptical upon the point of stituting her only food, and 1 tried h with the best hay and oats which sh refused. 1 then treated her to her 01, di ß h, and for two yeers that she was n my possesion she seldom tv* r ias ei-. an, other food than boded potatoes, bh was not even a large pony and I hav seen her Wed with the fastest fox hounds, which I w'.s oblige to par with because they me so last that tin gentlemen in the neighbourhood couk not ride with them, and 1 have seer that pony carry the hunfman up u their trails three days out of the wee! and never tire. Again, after riding hsi back during the whole of the Clonakiltj iac<s, and having ridden on Satuidaj from one till five, at that hour I put he, into a hahbic p with five oth -rs, some cl them thoroughbred, with mor weigh 1 upon her than any of the rest, for twe mile haste. *he lost the first.heat from being ofefweighted when 1 changed the jockey,-put up a lighter hoy without a saddle. She won the second, *nd distance the field the third bea*-, and car i >d me afterwards a distance of some ninos prancing the whole way, and supj «■< comfortably off a bucket of boiled potatoes.” » Hooray for praties. l eargus O’Connor was an Irishman,and h.s p f ny was evidently liiah too.