ADVANTAGES OF CLIPPING 225 



character, formerly the property of Mr George Dehne. 

 He had been turned out to grass in the summer ; 

 had had his three doses of physic ; had been hunted ; 

 and was what is called " in condition." When, 

 however, I came to ride him, I found him quite below 

 the mark, and not so good by a stone as from his form 

 and action he ought to have been. He had a long, 

 thick coat upon him, and was what grooms call 

 " very bad to dry " — always breaking out three or 

 four times in the course of the evening of the day on 

 which he hunted, and his ears were generally cold and 

 wet. In addition to these signs of debility, he always 

 had a damp feel to the hand, down his quarters, in 

 the stable, after only common exercise, and he sweated 

 with very little exertion. I gave him some tonic 

 medicines (bark and gentian root), during the opera- 

 tion of which the dampness on his quarters ceased, 

 and he appeared more healthy and vigorous ; but on 

 leaving off the medicine the symptoms returned. I 

 then had him clipped ^ and in the course of a fortnight 

 the good effects were visible. His flesh increased ; 

 his muscles grew larger ; he did not sweat so soon ; 

 he dried sooner ; and the dew on his quarters, when 

 in the stable, was very seldom to be perceived. He 

 broke out, however, as it is termed, after every day's 

 hunting as before, and continued to do so till the end 

 of the season ; neither will anything obviate that, 

 or put him into condition but being summered upon 

 hard meat. 



^ The beneficial effects of clipping can hardly be over-estimated, 

 and it should always be done with long-coated horses. — Editor. 



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