56 THE HORSE 



of the owner or by a thoroughly experienced and trust- 

 worthy man. 



It is a great cruelty to put a horse up at night all 

 sticky with sweat. A horse in that condition cannot 

 rest well and will not come out fresh in the morning. 

 Especially should this not be done in the case of a 

 horse that does not receive a thorough grooming every 

 day, for if the dandruff has been allowed to accumulate 

 in his coat then the sweating will cause great itching 

 and irritation. Many a horse has become cast from 

 trying to scratch himself by rolling in his stall under 

 these circumstances. 



If you want to test the character of the groom who 

 takes care of a horse, you can come pretty near doing 

 so by looking at certain parts. For example, a care- 

 less or ignorant groom will be almost sure to skip the 

 hollow between the jaws of the horse, where dirt and 

 sweat sometimes accumulate, the inside of the ears, the 

 root of the mane and forelock, the inside of the hind 

 quarters and the dock. 



WHEN THE HORSE COMES IN WET WITH RAIN 



A horse that comes in wet through, after being out 

 in a cold rain, requires some care. In the first place, 

 with a scraper remove what water can be scraped from 

 his coat, and if there is no regular scraper at hand, a 

 smooth shingle will serve the purpose very well. It 

 is astonishing how much water can be removed in this 

 way, which otherwise would have to be evaporated by 

 the warmth of the horse's body- — a very chilling 

 process. After scraping, throw a blanket over the horse, 



