i7 



to be too long ; for if It be, the horse, 

 though very pleasant to ride, will neither be 

 strong nor speedy. The pastern, therefore, 

 ought rather to be short and bony. The 

 hair should be trimmed close from the legs of 

 cavalry and saddle horses, for the following 

 reasons ; first, the legs and pasterns are more 

 easily cleaned; secondly, the air acts more freely 

 on the skin, renders it firm and hard, and braces 

 the sinews ; and lastly, it gives them a cleaner 

 appearance about the legs. In a Treatise 

 recently published, the author, in contradic- 

 tion to the experience of ages, disapproves of 

 cutting any of the hair from the legs of a horse> 

 assigning for a reason, that the hair protects 

 the heel from the sand and stones, which 

 might injure it ; but tlie fact is, the hair 

 is injurious; and every person well acquaint- 

 ed with horses will bear testimony to the as- 

 sertion, that those which have a great deal of 

 hair on their legs and pasterns are the most 

 liable to have cracked and greasy heels ; and 

 it may be observed, that the Arabians are the 

 cleanest horses about the legs ; for the hair 

 is naturally so short on their legs and pascenis> 

 that they have the appearance of being trim- 



