120 STABLE ECONOMY. 



the coat ; but horses that have been reared in cold situations 

 may often be two winters in the stable before their coat is 

 very decidedly altered. The hair be comes finer and shorter, 

 and the principal agent in effecting this change is heat. To 

 produce and preserve a fine silken coat, it is absolutely ne- 

 cessary that the horse be kept warm. The stable must be 

 comfortable, and the clothing must be heavy. Good groom- 

 ing and good food, in liberal allowance, are the next agents. 

 When these three are combined, the coat gradually becomes 

 so fine, and lies so smoothly, that clipping can never be de- 

 sired, and indeed it is hardly possible to perform the opera- 

 tion upon such a coat. These agents operate slowly. They 

 very soon m'ake a rough coat smooth, and a dull coat glossy ; 

 6ut they can not shorten the hair. If they are to make the 

 winter coat short, they must be in operation before, and at 

 the time of moulting. On many horses they do not produce 

 their full effect till the second winter ; but, in the most of 

 cases, a thorough-bred groom will make the horse tolerably 

 decent, for the first winter, if he get him in autumn, a fort- 

 night before moulting. 



There are other agents which may co-operate with these, 

 when they do not produce their ordinary effects. Boiled bar- 

 ley, boiled or raw linseed, raw carrots, and boiled turnips, are 

 among the articles of food which influence the skin. They 

 polish and lay the hair, and they soften the skin. These 

 need not be given constantly. It is sufficient to give one or 

 more of them two or three times in the week. A few raw 

 carrots during the day, and perhaps a little barley at night, 

 will answer the purpose, and occasionally these may give 

 place to turnips and linseed. 



Drugs are sometimes given, and when not abused, they are 

 useful. Physic is serviceable only when the skin is too rigid, 

 and the dung pale, or when there is reason to suspect worms. 

 When the horse does not eat up his grain, a mild dose of 

 physic may be given, and when that sets, it may be followed 

 by a few cordials, one being given every second or third day. 

 Cordials are rarely required in warm weather [indeed they 

 are frequently highly injurious, and should only be administered 

 for debility]. Physic alone in general succeeds. When 

 there is no apparent need either for physic or cordials, the 

 coat not improving so much nor so rapidly as it should do, 

 the best remedy is a powder composed of antimony, nitre, 

 and sulphur. Take black antimony, eight ounces ; flour of 

 ^ulphur, four ounces ; and finely-powdered nitre, four ounces 



