PULLING THE MANE. 465 



The hair of the ears should be trimmed only at the edges ; 

 that on the inside should never be touched, as it affords 

 a necessary protection against dirt and dust to these very 

 valuable organs. As the long hairs on the muzzle blur the 

 outline of the lower part of the head and are comparatively 

 unnecessary as a means of protection to the horse in captivity, 

 they should be removed. Scissors should be used in prefer- 

 ence to a singeing lamp, which is likely to frighten a horse 

 owing to the extreme sensitiveness of this part. The impor- 

 tance of affording every protection to the eyes is so great 

 that on no account should the few long hairs with which 

 they are surrounded be removed or even cut. Trimming 

 combs are made of various materials, such as brass, steel, 

 rubber and bone. The chief variety in form is shown in 

 Fig. 217. 



FIG. 2 1 8. 

 PULLING THE MANE. 



The manes of all horses with short tails should be pulled, 

 and that of ponies treated in the same way or hogged. For 

 pulling the mane the fingers, roughened with a little pow- 

 dered resin, are better than the metal forks manufactured 

 for that purpose. (See Fig. 218.) The mane, if heavy, should 

 be thinned, not from the under or outer side, but from the 

 middle, by twisting a few strands of hair around the fore- 

 finger and removing it evenly, beginning at the upper end 

 just back of the ears. As the work progresses the hair 



