GROOMING, STABLE GEAR, ETC. 81 



Country blankets (kumbal) can also be got ; and the 

 condemned soldiers' blankets, that are periodically 

 sold by the military authorities, make excellent horse- 

 rugs. I always think it best to get regular horse- 

 clothing shaped and pieced out at the neck to buckle 

 across the chest, or, at all events, to have one rug 

 like this, even if the rest are ordinary square blankets, 

 as the shaped clothing protects the front of the 

 chest, which the square blanket will not do. The 

 blanket can be used in the daytime, and the rug on 

 the top at night, buckling across the chest, as leaving 

 this part of the body exposed is a fruitful source of 

 coughs and colds. Aprons, breast-pieces, and quarter- 

 cords are seldom seen in India, except on race horses, 

 and then only as a fancy matter. 



Hoods (klmisilla). 



Hoods with hacks, harness horses, and polo ponies 

 are not often required ; but if horses are sensitive 

 to cold, particularly if they are standing out at 

 night, they are no doubt a great protection. They 

 are made up of the same material as the country 

 "jhool," and they also can be got to match the 

 clothing made at any of the woollen mills. In any 

 case it is a good thing to have a spare hood in the 

 stable, even if it is not habitually used, as when 



G 



