302 THE HORSE 



box once raised to 80 or 90 will keep its temperature with the horse in 

 it for the time which is required. The groom must be careful not on any 

 account to take his charge into the bath till his skin is beginning to sweat, 

 for if he does, the blood may be driven too forcibly to the brain, without 

 the relief which is afforded by the natural discharge from the skin, and 

 dangerous mischief may be produced. On being taken into the bath G, a 

 bucket of chilled water is placed within reach, and he is tied up with his 

 head in the corner nearest the entrance door, which must be left open, so 

 as to allow him plenty of fresh air. In about a quarter of an hour the 

 sweat begins to pour out in large volumes, and this should be encouraged 

 by friction with the hand, which may be guarded with horsehair gloves. 

 As it becomes very profuse, a scraper may be applied occasionally, but two 

 grooms, each with horsehair gloves on, will be able to remove it by keeping 

 up continuous, deep, and steady pressure upon the skin, so as at once to 

 squeeze out the watery particles from the hair, and to remove any scurf 

 and other tenacious matters which accumulate there. According to the 

 amount of reduction which is required to be made in the fatty deposits, 

 and to the action of the skin, will be the time required to be devoted to 

 this operation, but in general it is completed in half-an-hour. Some horses, 

 however, have been kept sweating for a full hour, as I am informed, without 

 apparent injury, and have afterwards gone out to exercise as full of life as 

 ever. Indeed, it is said that the effect is usually to increase the spirits and 

 liveliness of all the horses submitted to it. During the operation of the 

 bath, the preparatory room should have had its doors and windows thrown 

 freely open, and it should be left in this state when the horse returns to it, 

 some grooms liking to have a strong draught through it while the horse is 

 being cooled. In this process there is a considerable variation in the 

 practices adopted in those stables where this novel kind of sweating is 

 introduced. Some grooms wash the horse all over with cold water ; others 

 dash the water over the whole body the moment he comes from the bath, 

 while a third set content themselves with the free admission of a current 

 of cold air to the skin. When the skin is sweating freely under the 

 stimulus of heat, and before its vessels are beginning to flag in their action, 

 cold in any shape may be applied, so long as it is not continued long enough 

 to reduce the pulse below its natural standard. Again there are some 

 grooms who, after they have applied cold water, return the horse to the 

 bath for a few minutes, the air in it being reduced to about 100 of 

 Fahrenheit, and on bringing him out, take him at once to his box or stall, 

 when he is dressed as usual, till he is perfectly dry, after which he is 

 clothed and fed. 



PHYSIC 



IN MY PREVIOUS REMARKS I have alluded to physic as necessary for the 

 purpose of getting rid of the food which the horse may have been taking, 

 before he comes into the stable, without injury, but the effects of which 

 are somewhat in opposition to the condition required for hard work. In 

 addition to this object, however, physic is given with several other purposes 

 in view; but these may be said to bring it within the province of the 



