84 



ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



Encourage 



quick 



grooming. 



Evening 

 stables. 



Duties of 

 N.C.O.'s. 



Duties of 

 O.C. 



Duty of 



stable 



guard. 



Smoking 

 and liij;lUs. 



No horse is well groomed unless he is groomed quickly. As quick 

 grooming is to be encouraged horses should always be inspected as soon 

 as they are groomed and the men allowed to go on with their saddlery. 

 The stable head collar should be cleaned before the horse is passed. 



At evening stables the horses are to be watered, wisped, bedded 

 down and fed. For this half an hour is sufficient. 



Non-commissioned officers in charge of horses must watch during 

 stables that above routine is carried out, that every man gets to work on 

 his horse at once and continues at it until his horse is passed as clean. 

 They must give advice and assistance to young soldiers, and get them 

 into the habit of handling brush and comb correctly. Should any 

 injuries be reported they must inform the officer commanding the troop 

 or section. 



The officer in command should satisfy himself that the forage and 

 bedding are up to standard quality, and that no horses are passed unless 

 they are thoroughly clean and have been examined to see that they are 

 uninjured and their shoes are in good order. Before horses are fed he 

 should ensure that all gutters are swept clean, barrows emptied, utensils 

 conveniently placed, buckets filled with clean water, and the ventilation 

 suitably arranged. 



Officers should make a point of occasionally visiting their stables at 

 various times of the day. Horses' habits and peculiarities may be 

 much better studied when the men are away than when grooming is 

 going on. 



It will frequently happen that the horses do not return from work 

 until or after the men's dinner hour. In this case the saddles may be 

 removed, but the numnahs left on, being kept in place by the surcingles ; 

 the horses should be watered, their throats dried, and they should then 

 be fed, care being taken that they are not left in a draught. " Stables " 

 should sound one hour after return from work. 



It is important that horses should be taken off the short rack chains 

 as soon as they have finished feeding. 



A stable guard should invariably be posted while the men are away 

 from stables. The stable man is not to leave the stable : it is his duty to 

 unrack the horses when all have finished their feeds, tie up any horses 

 that may get loose and remove the droppings. He is responsible for the 

 safety of the saddlery and utensils, and that the ventilation is not 

 interfered with. A horse that lies down in the day should not be 

 disturbed unless saddlery or arms are in danger of injury. 



On no account is an officer, non-commissioned officer, or man, to 

 smoke or strike a light in the stables or near any forage. 



