1(33 



the feet being picked clean and free from dirt and stones, between the 

 shoe and foot. The old custom of constantly oiling and stopjiing the 

 hoofs of Horses, a practice which contributed to harden, heat and 

 founder them, has been long discontinued in our regular stables. 

 Water, cold or Avarm, has been found the most salutary application. 



The DRESSING of a Horse consists in currying him all over, from the 

 roots of the ears to his knees and hocks; in brushing, wisping, rubbing 

 with cloths and laying his coat perfectly smooth. The perfection of this 

 joined with fidl keep, is necessary to the beauty, high and generous 

 spirit, action, and durability of the thorough-conditioned Horse. There 

 is a caution with respect to dressing, extremely necessary, and which 

 ought to attract the eye of the master. It is, that the curry comb be 

 not so sharp, as to become an instrument of torture, instead of the 

 promoter of pleasing sensations to the Horse. This chiefly concerns 

 delicate and thin-skiimed Horses, which are often thus injured in 

 a double way, being first Avounded by the sharp teeth of the comb and 

 afterwards corrected and ill used in various ways, by the thick-headed 

 groom, who wisely determines that every Horse ought to receive his 

 dressing quietly. 



Feeding. The English saddle Horse is fed within doors, upon hay, 

 white or black oats, beans or pease. His stable soiling in the spring, 

 green tares, or lucerne, generally. Draught and common labouring 

 Horses have chaff, or the husks of corn, or chaff from hay or straw 

 cut by an engine ; bran or pollard mixed with their corn, which is 

 sometimes beans instead of oats, or a mixture of both. Their hay is 

 of the more substantial and filling kind, of clover, in some counties 

 of sainfoin. Grains from the brewhouse also, makes a considerable 

 part of the food of ordinary cart-horses. In the carrot counties, par- 

 ticularly Suffolk and Norfolk, farm Horses are much fed upon that 

 root, either as an auxiliary, or entirely without corn. In some coun- 

 ties, chiefly I believe to the eastward, oat straw is preferred as fodder 

 for cart-horses, to the westward, they give the preference to barley 

 straw. 



Upon the continent more particularly to the southward, barley is the 

 general horse-corn, as oats with us, and having no haj^ they use stravA', 



y2 " but 



