The ordinary food for horses is corn and hay. They should have the corn four times a day - at about seven, eleven, three and seven; and the hay twice - at night and in the morning. These times may be slightly varied to suit the convenience. The quantity of each must depend upon the size and description of horse, and the amount of work required of him. A full-sized carriage horse will require at least five quarterns of corn, and about twelve or fourteen pounds of hay, daily. These horses being kept for show and style rather than for work, are required to be full of flesh to give them a grander and more imposing appearance.

The hunter having hard, fast, and long-continuous work to perform, greater care is required in feeding him. Some hunters are delicate feeders, and cannot under any circumstances be induced to eat more than three quarterns of corn and beans in the twenty-four hours; consequently they never look well, are never quite fit, and cannot come again more than once in ten days or a fortnight. Such horses must be got fit as best they may by changing the diet as often as possible, and by giving only a little at a time, but frequently. By changing the diet I mean, by sometimes giving old beans with the corn, at other times old white peas, and adding at one time good hay chaff, at another clover chaff, and occasionally a few pieces of chopped carrot mixed with the corn - in fact, trying almost everything that will tempt a delicate horse to feed.

From five to six quarterns of corn, with a few good old beans or white peas, and ten or twelve pounds of good old meadow hay, is the average daily food of a hunter going three days a fortnight. It is a great mistake to get a hunter too fine, as the work being hard and long-continued, he must be full of muscle and strong, but at the same time in good wind. It is difficult to lay down any definite rules for feeding hunters, as some require much more food than others to keep them in the same condition. As soon as convenient after a day's hunting the horse should have some gruel - it is better than corn, as being easy of digestion and more invigorating for a tired horse. A hack will require from three to four quarterns of corn a day, and about the same quantity of hay as the hunter. His work is much lighter and he requires a more round and fleshy appearance.

Beans are only occasionally necessary for hacks, and then only when much exposed to bad and wet weather. Harness horses must be fed in much the same way as hacks, but much depends upon their size and the work they are required to perform. Ponies require about two quarterns of corn daily, and seven or eight pounds of hay, some even less than that, as they are invariably hardy, and unless hard worked will keep fat on very little. Horses of all sizes and all descriptions should have chaff mixed with every feed of corn, as it enables them to masticate the oats more thoroughly, and so far assists digestion.

Water

Where practicable it will be better for the horse to have water constantly by him in a small tank for the purpose, that he may drink when he feels disposed; when such is the case he drinks less than when it is offered to him at stated times.

In stables unfitted with tanks the water must be taken to the horse not less than four times a day, and he then may be allowed to take as much as he pleases in moderation.

Pond water is the best for horses when it can be procured, and even when dirty they take it in preference to any other. Hard pump water is often injurious at first till they become used to it, but that is at all times preferable to stale stagnant rain water. Hard water will to some extent produce indigestion and consequently a rough staring coat.

Care must be taken to water the horse some little time before starting him on a journey, and also on his return, that he is not allowed to drink too much at first, and if the horse be heated and the water be cold, it should be just chilled before allowing him to drink, or serious results may follow.