STABLE MANAGEMENT. if 



out, then always let it be given before meals. This on Pro- 

 fessor Pritebard's authority. The conformation of a horse's 

 stomach is such that an exact reversal of the rules applicable 

 to man in eating and drinking is requisite. The water should 

 be left standing some considerable time before being drunk, 

 80 as to acquire the temperature of the stable. If taken 

 too cold, it often produces colic and shivering fits, or at the 

 least causes the coat to stick up the wrong way, and makes 

 the horse feel thoroughly ill and wretched. 



Clothing is the next subject that engages the attention. 

 Light, warm rugs should be used, with double buckled rollers 

 to keep them on. A useful plan is to keep one best rug 

 for day, and an old one for night use, as those used for the 

 latter purpose necessarily get soiled, and look bad in the day 

 time. 



Bandages are of two kinds — linen of coarse texture, and 

 flannel. The former are useful when it is desired to apply 

 cold-water ban(]ages, or bandages dipped in any lotion or 

 preparation, whilst the flannel ones are used to keep the 

 extremities warm, and will be found very comforting after 

 a long day with hounds. One word before leaving the matter 

 of clothing: Do nob clothe a horse at all in the summer; 

 be is far less liable to take cold with nothing on than with 

 the flimsy stuff called summer clothing. Most animals require 

 clipping in the autumn, and some of them will have to be 

 done two or three times before the winter is over. Comb 

 and scissors have quite gone out of use, and given place to 

 the modern clipping machine, by the aid of which any groom 

 can, with a little assistance, do a horse in two or three hours. 

 After this he should be singed, if possible with the gas, failing 

 which the naphtha lamp must be resorted to. To look really 

 well, singeing should be repeated once in ten days or so 

 throughout the winter. If troublesome, one of the horse's 

 fore legs should be held up whilst the process goes on. 

 The scissors may be used to clip the hair out of the heels. 

 &c., but with the iiunter it will be advisable to leave the 

 hair on from the knees and hocks downwards, as a protection 

 against the mud. 



In this chapter I must not omit to mention the treatment 

 of the feet. These should be kept scrupulously clean, and 

 occasionally oiled on the outer part of the hoof. I am 

 sorry to find myself in conflict with several undoubted autho- 



