THE HORSE. 777 



But few clipped horses are provided with a protection for the head, the only covering com- 

 monly used being a blanket, so that, even under the most favoring conditions, clipped horses 

 must of necessity suffer more or less from exposure, while, with the common treatment 

 received from careless and indifferent drivers, much injury must result from clipping. It is 

 true that a horse will be more active, and have a more voracious appetite after being clipped 

 than before, but whether this is a healthful indication may be doubted. All animals that are 

 not sufficiently protected from the cold will require a greater amount of food to be kept in 

 good condition, than those that are kept comfortably warm. This is a fact with which every 

 one is familiar. 



Now, if by removing the coat we increase the demand for food, thus unduly stimulat 

 ing the digestive organs, and taxing them to furnish a supply of fat and heat sufficient to 

 compensate for the loss of the covering, the question naturally arises, Will not the extra labor 

 required of the organs of digestion have a tendency to produce disease? And can it be truly 

 a promoter of health? 



Again: since clipping has a tendency to increase the activity of a horse, the keen air 

 exciting him and greatly increasing his ambition to go, there is great liability of clipped 

 horses being driven beyond their capacity for endurance, while at the time, there may be 

 no indications of it; and we believe that clipped horses, as a rule, are generally over driven, 

 to say nothing of the results from exposure to colds and other evils from lack of care after 

 ward. That clipped horses really suffer from the cold, need not be questioned by any one 

 who has ever been at all observing in noticing the shivering of the animals on being exposed 

 to the cold atmosphere, after their blankets are removed. 



It is the opinion of some of the most intelligent veterinary surgeons, that many diseases 

 are directly traceable to clipping, among which are those resulting from exposure to the cold, 

 the shock occasioned by severe changes in the weather, and over-exertion. The evil effects 

 of clipping may not always be perceived at once, some being gradual in their development. 

 Several cases of string-halt have come to the knowledge of the writer, which were indisputably 

 the result of clipping. Clipped horses are, of course, much more easily taken care of than 

 those unclipped, since they require less grooming to be kept clean ; for this reason indolent 

 grooms are very apt to favor the practice, whatever the result to the horse. It is stated by 

 high authority, that inflammation of the lungs has become a prevalent disease among horses 

 since the custom of blanketing them constantly in the stable was introduced. There is no 

 doubt that this practice causes greater sensitiveness to the skin, and increased liability to take 

 cold, than when the blanket is only used as a covering after profuse sweating, or when the 

 animal is standing exposed to the weather. 



Where a well-bred horse is put in the stable before cold weather commences, and is 

 well groomed and kept blanketed except when being used, his coat will be about as short as 

 in summer, or at least short enough for appearance, and to admit of drying off readily when 

 sweaty. The coat of a horse that has been clipped does not come out as evenly in the spring 

 as one that is unclipped, and rarely looks quite as well afterward. Never trim the hair at 

 the heels much, if at all. The hair inside the ears should never be cut, nor the long hairs or 

 feelers about the eyes and nostrils ; they were designed by nature to be of great utility to the 

 animal. 



Stables, and Stable Management. The stables for horses, and, in fact, for all 

 animals, should be in a healthy location, free from dampness, and with plenty of pure air. 

 They should also be on the sunny side of a building, if practicable, for the sunlight has a 

 healthful and stimulating effect. 



The stalls should be roomy, with partitions sufficiently long and high to prevent the 

 horses from kicking, or biting each other. Some recommend having the partition so high 

 that they cannot see each other, but we do not favor this, as horses are social animals, and 



