62 ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



coat should be thoroughly brushed out, the brush moving the way the 

 hair lies as a rule, though in order to get out hard dirt or scurf it is 

 sometimes necessary to brush in a circular direction. To use the 

 brush with the best effect, the man should stand well away, keep his arm 

 stiff, and lean the weight of his body on the brush, which should be 

 placed gently on the skin and not brought down with a bang, especially 

 on a thin-skinned, ticklish horse. If the man stands close, with a bent 

 elbow, and brushes with his arm only, he does not force the bristles or fibres 

 through the coat so well, or remove the scurf so effectually. Having 

 completed one side, the other is gone over in the same manner, starting 

 from the neck. The legs may be done at the same time or separately, 

 after the body is completed. The horse is now turned round in the stall, 

 the head and mane brushed and eyes and nostrils cleaned if necessary. 

 Finally he is put about again, the tail is brushed out and the whole coat 

 wisped and given a final polish with a rubber. 



In grooming the head it is well to use a soft brush if one is obtainable, 

 and for this purpose a dry water brush is frequently requisitioned ; it is 

 further to be noted that a good groom is careful not to knock the skin 

 with the wooden edge of the brush when going over the bony projections 

 of the head and legs. 

 Wisping. Wishing as previously stated, is a form of massage. It stimulates 



the skin generally, bringing plenty of blood into it, and producing a 

 vigorous circulation. In particular it has a great effect on the oil glands 

 of the hair, increasing their output, and thereby giving a marked gloss to 

 the coat. The wisp should be brought down with a bang on the skin, in 

 the direction of the hair, and the process repeated all over the body. 

 Hand- Hand-rubbi7ig is another excellent form of massage and is specially 



rubbing, useful for removing the loose hair of the coat as well as stimulating the skin. 

 The hands are slapped down smartly on the coat one after the other, and 

 the weight of the body leant upon them and the forearms, whilst both are 

 moved over the skin with firm pressure. It is a method not much 

 employed in England, but is much practised in the East, and is of such 

 undoubted value that it should be generally adopted when time permits. 

 Hand-rubbing the legs and "stripping" the ears, i.e.^ pulling them 

 gently through the hand from base to apex, are both details which 

 should not be neglected, and in the case of the legs, brisk, but gentle 

 rubbing with the fingers and palms in the direction of the hair is an 

 excellent stimulant to the circulation of the limbs. For the removal of 

 loose hairs by rubbing, the hands and arms should be kept slightly damp. 

 Time Given a clean horse in the first instance and brought in cool, a hearty 



occupied, man will complete his toilet thoroughly with brush, wisp, and hand- 



