DRESSING, OR GROOMING. 245 
out again as badly as ever, and if the saddle is removed the back will become 
sore. A hemp halter is cooler and more handy than a head-collar, and it 
is usually employed out of doors for all purposes connected with cleaning. 
In the winter, this exposure to the air out of doors is not necessary ; and, 
indeed, it would often be dangerous, the stable being generally cool enough 
to stop all tendency to sweat, even with a light rug on. At this season, 
therefore, after the legs are washed and the bandages put on, which they 
should be whenever the horse is in a sweat, the dressing may be con- 
ducted in the usual way, in the expectation, which will seldom be disap- 
pointed, that at the end of half an hour’s strapping, the skin will have 
become quite cool, and will look all the better for the profuse cleansing 
which it has received by means of the watery fluid given off by it. A 
scraper will be necessary, which may be either of wood or iron ; and with 
this all the superfluous moisture is at once scraped from the surface, which 
greatly facilitates the process of drying. Two men ought then to set to 
work, each taking a side, and working first at the head, and then gradually 
backwards. In this way, no part is allowed to chill, and the moisture is 
removed as rapidly as possible. In the use of the whisp, the rubbing 
need not always be hard ; and it should be chiefly against the direction of 
the hair till it is nearly dry, 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. Expe- 
rience 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 isa very cool one. Slight muscular action, either 
by walking, 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 whisping 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 hard 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 
tubbing, 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 
