VICIOUS WHILE CLEANING 355 



and having too little work. The remedy for this is 

 obvious. But when animals continue to manifest this 

 vice, they should be sold. 



VICIOUS WHILE CLEANING. 



Very great difference exists in the temper ex- 

 hibited by horses under the operation of cleaning. 

 Some that are steady and quiet on the road and in 

 the field, cannot be cleaned without great hazard to 

 their grooms, as well as the danger of laming them- 

 selves. This often proceeds from a very sensitive 

 skin, and at other times from their grooms having 

 inflicted severe chastisement on some former occasion 

 when cleaning. Besides, ill-disposed grooms, by teas- 

 ing the animals, or currying them with a broken- 

 toothed comb or uneven-surfaced brush, teach them 

 this bad habit, and have even a delight in seeing the 

 animals show their teeth ; and this is continued until 

 it becomes a fixed vice. If a change of groom takes 

 place, what was done partly in play is then manifested 

 in anger, and serious injuries have been inflicted upon 

 the unsuspecting stranger. It therefore behoves 

 grooms to be cautious how they handle a strange 

 horse. 



There is much variety in the sensibility of the 

 skin of horses, some being so tender that moderate 

 rubbing gives them uneasiness, while others are so 

 much the reverse that the whip hardly excites it. 



It will not be difficult to overcome this vicious 

 habit. When the groom discovers it, the best plan 

 is to use a gentle hand while cleaning, and lean 

 lightly on those parts which seem most sensitive ; 

 and avoid punishing the animal for exhibiting restive- 

 ness, and he will soon lose all recollection of the 



