Bibliothèque mondiale du cheval

« That Horse-keeping is an expensive luxury, few, I think, will deny; and especially those who know what it costs to keep them in town. There is no domestic animal so commonly kept that returns so little in proportion to the cost of its keep; and there is certainly no animal kept with more unnecessary extravagance, or with less regard to economy, than the Horse. Corn and hay generally form his staple, if not entire, food throughout the year; while the prices these articles command, especially in towns, make the Horse one of the most expensive luxuries that can be indulged in. Feeding wholly upon corn and hay may be a necessity to those who keep Horses in large towns, where cheaper food is not to be had; and it may also be indulged in by those who can afford it, whether they live in town or country, cost being of little object. But such people form a very small proportion of the whole community, and there are thousands upon thousands who are obliged to keep Horses from necessity —for trade and professional purposes, as well as the many who would keep them, were it not for the very great expense incurred by so doing.
It is very generally believed, and broadly stated by those who keep Horses in large towns, that the cost per head in corn, hay, and litter for the twelve months is not less than 3s. per day, or £54 a-year, and I believe this sum is often exceeded in gentlemen’s stables. If this costly expenditure in the feeding of Horses were confined to the rich, and to those who keep them in towns and cannot help themselves, I should have little or nothing to say on the subject; and to such my remarks do not pretend to apply. But is it not a fact, that this expensive system of feeding is not at all confined to those to whom I make exception, but is, to a great extent, very generally adopted by all Horse- keepers, rich and poor alike, whether they reside in town or country ? […] » Présentation de l’éditeur (1874)