258 Grooming. 



At any rate, it will be allowed on all hands, that the quantity of 

 dandriff which the groom gets out of the Horse's coat, furnishes no 

 very inconclusive evidence of the labour bestowed upon it. But, 

 there is the less necessity that I should take np untenable ground 

 on this occasion; when so many fastnesses and strong' holds sur- 

 rounding me on all sides, enable me to support the main point of the 

 position I wish to maintain ; in other words, to prove the g-eneral uti- 

 lity of grooming-; for all sorts of Horses, howsoever they may be kept, 

 fedi or treated. 1 feel myself called upon, however, in a more especial 

 manner, to make out the reasonableness and propriety of my opinion 

 as to the policy of grooming Horses that are kept abroad ; as this -no- 

 tion, I am well aware, runs counter to the generally established popu- 

 lar one, upon this subject. i3ut, 1 suspect the more we scrutinize 

 the popular notion on this head, the more clearly it will appear to be 

 founded in error ; inasmuch, as it proceeds solely on tlje assumption, 

 that. Horses so circumstanced, will be more liable to catch Cold after 

 grooming, than such as are kept in warm stables. Now, I apprehend 

 that just the contrary of this is the case. But, as I never argue 

 against facts, so, if it had been my lot ever toJiave meti with any man 

 of intelligence and candour, who felt inclined to support tlie com- 

 monly received opinion on this subject, from observation of what had 

 passed under his own eye, I should probably have paused before I 

 ventured to altack so popular an error, sensible that an attempt of 

 the kind, will certainly expose me to the censure of some, and, proba- 

 bly, to the derision- of many. But I think it becomes an object of 

 some importance, to rectify (if I am able,) this error in (he public 

 mind, because I have met with some persons of the superior class, so 

 far under its influence, as to be impressed with the conviction, that it 

 Is better to turn out such Horses as are accustomed to be kept abroad. 



