CHAPTER XIII 

 HOT WEATHER TREATMENT 



TN addition to what has been said in the preceding 

 -*■ chapter as to the care of a horse that comes to the 

 stable heated or sweating, the following suggestions as 

 to the general treatment of horses in very hot weather 

 may be useful. 



A driver will, of course, load more lightly than 

 usual, and drive more slowly; at least he will do 50 if 

 he has any regard for the horse either as a living being 

 or as a valuable piece of property. To stop in the 

 shade is also a great relief to the horse, and it is well 

 worth while to take a little trouble for this purpose 

 rather than to let the horse stand in the sun, even 

 though the stop is to be for a few minutes only. Even 

 in three or four minutes the temperature of a horse 

 may change materially for better or worse. (This, 

 however, does not mean that when your horse is reek- 

 ing hot you are to let him cool off in the shade with a 

 wind blowing on him. Many a horse has been 

 foundered in that way.) 



Horse hats do more harm than good unless they are 

 of the canopy-top kind, so that the air can circulate 

 between the top of the head and the hat. The ordi- 

 nary, bell-shaped horse hat is a bad contrivance, for it 

 confines the heat of the head. A sponge on top of 

 the head, or even a cloth, is very cooling and beneficial, 



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