MANAGEMENT 231 



involves a roof, earth standings on which a 

 horse can rest, and a wind screen to keep out 

 bad weather. In practice this open earth- 

 floored shed kills out the germs of disease, rests 

 the horse, and so prevents or cures the mala- 

 dies of the feet and legs which disable indoor 

 stock. But, while the horse is fairly sound 

 so soon as one adapts his home to the condi- 

 tions required for his health ; no indoor life 

 trains either horses or horsemen for th9 

 mobihty needed in campaigns. 



The civihzed stable management with 

 grooming and massage, cHpping and singeing, 

 docking and trimming of tails, hogging the 

 manes, and all the practice which involves the 

 use of clothing is excellent with the indoor 

 horse. In the same way a hospital is good for 

 the sick, but not the sort of gymnasiui;n which 

 makes men strong and hardy. The treatment 

 makes a horse glossy and beautiful, but sensi- 

 tive rather than robust. It does not make the 

 horse an outdoor person able to face bad 

 weather, rough feeding and long marches. For 

 that we must consider outdoor management as 

 applied to an outdoor horse. 



The British South African Field Force lost 

 340,000 horses, some of them civihzed, others 

 from wild ranges. I was serving in an irregular 



