WASHING A CARRIAGE — WATERING 



day, soap and warm water being used for the purpose. It 

 is not either necessary or desirable to wash the bodies of 

 horses every time they come in from work, especially if 

 they are heated, and the practice undoubtedly increases 

 the prospects of an attack of mud fever. The face and the 

 parts upon which no hair grows may be sponged over and 

 thoroughly dried, and the feet may be washed, the hollows 

 of the fetlocks being afterwards rubbed over with lanoline 

 or vaseline to prevent cracked heels. (See Grooming, Heated 

 Horses, Mud Fever?) 



Washing a Carriage. — (See Carriages, Care of.) 



Water. — Horses which are moved from place to place 

 often suffer from the change of water, which exercises a greater 

 effect upon them than many people imagine. Soft water 

 is the best of all for them, and they prefer it to any other, 

 but whatever they get should be clean. Rain water, if free 

 from impurities, is excellent, and then comes river water, but 

 that drawn from wells may be boiled to soften it if it is very 

 hard. (See Watering.) 



Water Brush. — A long bristled brush used for applying 

 water to the manes and tails of horses. (See Grooming.) 



Watering. — The proper time to water a horse is before 

 feeding, as otherwise, owing to the small size of his stomach, 

 his food is liable to get washed out of it before being digested, 

 and colic may result. Many servants, however, prefer to 

 water after feeding, but the other practice should be insisted 

 upon. There is no objection against giving a heated horse 

 water when he comes in from work, but it should not be 

 icy cold, and therefore if chilled, so much the better ; in 

 fact, very cold water is always bad for a horse, and there- 

 fore it is desirable to have some standing in a pail for use 

 when required, as it will have some of the chill off". Many 

 persons advocate the principle of having water always beside 



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