318 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



In a cold stable the horse may require in severe 

 weather two, or even three and four heavv blankets. 

 John Splan sensibly remarks, " If it comes to a cold 

 night, and yon think you want an extra blanket on 

 your own bed, see that the horse has one." 



Beside these individual blankets the stable should 

 contain one or more hoods, and coolers, and a rubber 

 blanket for cold rains. The office of the hood I have 

 already described. The cooler is a long, thin all-wool 

 blanket, extending over the neck and fastened by 

 safety pins. It is used when the horse comes in 

 from work. Horsemen frequently remark, sometimes 

 by way of an argument in favor of clipping, that, if 

 a horse with a long coat gets thoroughly wet with 

 sweat, he will not become dry again for hours, — often. 

 in fact, will remain wet through the whole night. 

 But when this happens, unless in some exceptional 

 case, it is because of wrong management. The cus- 

 tom is to put on the animal's heavy clothing at once, 

 when he comes in hot, and this causes him to sweat 

 profusely and to become unduly heated. The proper 

 way is to let him stand for a very short time, three 

 or four minutes being the maximum, with no blanket, 

 then put on the cooler, his legs and fetlocks being pro- 

 tected by the straw, in which he stands knee deep, or 

 by bandages, and let him so remain until lie is dry, or 

 until he feels cool to the hand. Then he may resume 

 his ordinary heavy clothing. Of course, judgment must 

 be used in this process of cooling ; and the time during 

 which the cooler is employed should vary, according 

 to the temperature of the stable and the nature of the 

 horse, from five minutes to an hour or more. I have 

 never known a horse to take cold under this method. 



