THE HAIR. 411 



of the coiidltion .>i Ae horse's system ; for disease can scarcely 

 exist in the aTiim'\i Avithoiit interfering, to some degree, with 

 the healthy action of the skin, and* the least degree of tronble 

 with the skin will bo shown by the appearance or feel of the 

 hair. 



That the hair may be kept in its proper glossy, soft condition, 

 it is necessary that the horse's health mnst be good, that he 

 be properly stabled, that the hide be kept perfectly clean, and 

 that the hair be frequently rubbed, so that the oil poured out 

 around its roots may be evenly distributed over the hairs, and 

 any excess of it removed. 



Sliedding or molting are terms applied to a change which 

 takes place with the horse's coat once every year, generally in 

 the spring, but sometimes twice a year, in the spring and fall 

 both, in which the old hair, except the mane and tail, falls off, 

 and is replaced by a new crop. This change from the winter 

 to the summer coat takes place gradually, requiring, in a horse 

 in fair condition, from two to three weeks to complete it. The 

 young hair starts up from the same point of its predecessor, 

 and passes up by its side, and is some length before the old 

 hair is cast. By this arrangement of nature the horse's coat 

 is suited to the different seasons, being thick and warm in the 

 colder seasons and light in the warmer. 



While this change is going on, the skin is undoubtedly in 

 a state of increased activity. Hence the horse sweats easily ; 

 a gi-eater than ordinary amount of dandruif is thrown off from 

 the skin ; the nostrils look more florid than usual ; the fatness 

 of the horse decreases; his appetite is poor, and his nervous 

 system depressed. These conditions are often mistaken for 

 disease, and the horse subjected to treatment for fever, inflam- 

 mation, debility, or dosed with some nostrum ^^said to he good''' 

 for every thing. I need hardly say that all this is not only 

 unnecessary, but very injurious. 



The process of shedding is one of those changes in the sys- 

 tem which nature has established, and if the horse is in health 



