DRESSING, OR GROOMING 277 



nearly diy, when the proper direction is again taken. There is a good 

 deal of art in drying a sweating horse, and nothing but experience and 

 practical teaching will give it. As a general rule, it takes two men nearly 

 three-quarters of an hour to thoroughly dress a horse coming in profusely 

 sweating, supposing the weather to be only moderately warm. In very hot 

 weather such an attempt would be quite fruitless, and the only resource is 

 to wait patiently till the effects of exercise are abated sufficiently to allow 

 of the ordinary clothing being worn. Experience soon tells the groom how 

 soon he can venture to begin, 'and no rule can possibly be laid down which will 

 supply the place of this valuable power. Even when the horse is taken 

 in, he must not at first be clothed, but he must be dressed without anything 

 on him ; and in summer he must often be left for some time afterwards in 

 a naked state. When there is a good open yard shaded from the sun, the 

 dressing should be done out of doors ; and when this can be managed, it 

 may be commenced much sooner than in the stable, unless this is a very 

 cool one. Slight muscular action, either by Avalking or in some other shape, 

 is necessary to prevent congestion of blood in the internal organs ; but it 

 matters not whether it is effected by simply leading the horse about, or by 

 stirring him up, as is always the case in dressing even the dullest animal. 

 In other respects there is no difference from the plan last described. 



When the sweat is completely dried in, the hair is full of powdery 

 matter, which must be thoroughly brushed out, before the skin will look 

 well or the horse be properly dressed. To do this, nothing more is required 

 than the use of the brush previously to the wisping over ; but a good deal 

 of time must be spent in getting rid of all the foreign matters left behind 

 on the evaporation of the watery particles of the sweat. There is an amount 

 of grease in it, which makes the powder stick to the hair, and nothing but 

 hai'd labour will get it away. For this reason, many grooms adopt the plan 

 of washing their horses all over with soap and water, when they come home 

 in this state ; and although I prefer dry rubbing, I would rather have water 

 used than let the skin remain full of dry sweat. A common water brush is 

 generally used, or, if the coat is thin, a sponge will be far better. No time 

 must be lost in the operation ; and unless two men can be spared, the rug 

 must be thrown on as soon as the water is scraped off with the scraper, and 

 the skin is just partially dried. In this state he may be left for a few 

 minutes ; attention, in the meantime, being paid to the thorough drying of 

 the head and neck, which cannot well be clothed advantageously. These 

 parts soon dry ; for in washing them, there is no occasion to wet the mane, 

 which may be turned over to the other side while each is being cleaned, and 

 the ordinary coat of the head and neck holds very little water. After they 

 are made comfortable, the cloth is turned partly back over the loins, and the 

 shoulders, ribs, and bosom are dried with the wisp and rubber ; after which 

 the whole is stripped off, and the hind-quai^tei^s thoroughly dried. 



A HORSE smothered in dirt is by careless grooms too often left to dry 

 with it all on ; and then it is brushed out, or, if idleness reigns triumphant, 

 a besom is taken in hand for the purpose. Where the particles of mud are 

 few and far between, and are already dry, or nearly so, there is no objection 

 to their being removed by friction alone ; but if thej'' are wet and (as they 

 generally are) in large masses, a scraper must be used to get rid of them. 

 Water should never be used for cleaning a horse except for the legs and tail, and 



