GROOMING, RUBBING, SCRAPING 55 



a wisp of hay or straw, and then with a cloth. (See 

 page 59.) 



The one essential thing about grooming horses is 

 that the man who does it should be willing to exert 

 himself, for a horse cannot be well cleaned without a 

 considerable amount of muscular effort. 



GROOMING BY MACHINERY 



There are two kinds of machines for cleaning horses 

 by power. One is a rotating brush applied by electric 

 or mechanical power, but the objection to this is that 

 it creates much dust in the air which is injurious to 

 the man who operates the device. The second form is 

 a vacuum cleaner, substantially like that used in clean- 

 ing carpets, and this is effective and useful in large 

 stables. 



WHEN THE HORSE COMES IN HOT 



If a horse comes in at all warm, the harness marks 

 should always be sponged off with water; and also his 

 nose and mouth, the dock and the inside of his hind 

 legs should be well-sponged. In warm weather a horse 

 should be wiped all over with a damp sponge, and in 

 excessively hot weather it is safe and refreshing to wash 

 the horse when he comes in, thus removing all dirt and 

 sweat and cooling the horse ; but this must be done with 

 care, and, unless the heat is very great, the horse should 

 be walked about until dry, or covered with a light 

 blanket. Nothing could be more dangerous than to 

 give a groom general instructions to wash a horse when 

 he comes in. This should be done only under the eye 



