510 CARE OF HORSES AFTER WORK. 



unbuckled so that the saddles may be removed separately 

 from the traces. With the exception of the above differences, 

 the unharnessing of a pair is similar to that described for a 

 single horse. 



CARE OF HORSES AFTER WORK. 



Horses coming in from work or exercise should receive 

 immediate attention. If they are comparatively cool, the 

 grooming may be done at once, and the sooner the better, 

 as the cleaning can be more thoroughly performed while the 

 pores are open than when the skin is in its normal condi- 

 tion. If the animal is sweating, or is wet with rain or mud, 

 the importance of promptness is greatly increased. Horses 

 not cared for under such conditions are likely to become 

 "foundered," or stricken with some equally serious form of 

 congestion. Supposing the horse to return cool, he should 

 be groomed with the same thoroughness and in the same 

 manner as is prescribed for the early morning cleaning. If 

 the horse is covered with mud or dust the dandy brush 

 should be used on the legs and belly, in the direction of the 

 hair, not against it as it roughens the coat. 



During the hot summer months, if the horse returni 

 to the stable in a heated condition, the harness, with 

 the exception of the collar or the riding saddle, should be 

 immediately removed, a wooden scraper used, the coat partly 

 dried with a rubbing cloth, and a " cooler " put on, the horse 

 should then be walked in a place protected from the wind 

 until he is cool, and not allowed to stand uncovered to dry 

 by evaporation while the servant does up the harness or 

 carriage. This latter method of drying a horse should only 

 be allowed in ver}^ warm weather when the temperature is 



