Among veterinarians it has been a disputed point whether or not the horse should have litter below him during the day, some contending that he should, others that he should not. The straw, it is said, heats the feet, produces constaction, tenderness, and thrushes. It does nothing of the kind, never did, and never will. It does no harm whatever. There is no need for either argument or experiment to decide this matter. It has already been tried on many thousand horses, and thousands more may be seen every day, who stand on straw twenty hours out of the twenty-four without receiving the slightest injury from it. If the straw be rotten dung, hot and wet, thrushes will be produced; but this dung-bill, which some people call bedding, will do the feet no other injury. It is more pernicious to the eyes and the throat, producing coughs and blindness.

Horses that do little work may have no need for day bedding; but there are some who will not urinate upon the bare stones, and this is sometimes an evil. The water splashes upon his legs and annoys him, and he retains his urine till it gives him more uneasiness or annoyance than that produced by wet legs. This is more particularly the case with horses having greasy heels, or bare legs. If required to take the road with a distended bladder, he can not work. He soon becomes dull and faint, and perspires very profusely. If he had been standing on straw, his bladder would never have become so full. Then, there are horses that constantly paw and stamp the ground; on the bare stones, they slip about, and sometimes lame themselves; and they often break the nails by which the shoes are held. Many, too, are disposed to lie during the day; without litter they can not, or ought not. The more a horse lies, the better he works. Lame or tender-footed horses can not lie too much; and a great deal of standing ruins even the best of legs and feet. Except the cost, there is no objection to day bedding.

Some horses do not need it; many are the better of it; none are the worse of it.