CLIPPING VERSUS SINGEING. 107 



the power of the circulative organs. A mild tonic 

 and alterative, such as bark and antimony, with the use 

 of dry flannel bandages — bound tightly and tied loosely 

 ■ — round the legs, is the proper course of treatment. 



I have seen many cases of swelled legs produced by 

 over-physicking ; and they have taken months of liberal 

 treatment before the vessels had sufficient power to 

 contract duly on their contents. 



If the horse's coat be long, it must either be shaved, 

 clipped, or singed. Shaving, which was in great vogue 

 about the years 1854, 1855, and 1856, has now quite 

 gone out of fashion again. It leaves the horse too bare 

 of covering, and makes him unsightly for a fortnight, 

 and unless skilfully performed he will be scratched and 

 scarred all over. 



Clipping, without doubt, is the safest and best method 

 that can be adopted for removing a horse's coat ; for fre- 

 quently the skin is materially injured by being scorched 

 by the flame in singeing ; so much so, that for a time 

 the absorbent vessels of the skin are paralysed. This 

 causes that dry, unhealthy, and rough appearance on 

 the horse's coat after he has been singed, which is a 

 marked contrast to the glossy and bright look after 

 scientific clipping. 



It is on account of this injury to the skin, that clever 

 stud grooms invariably sweat their horses immediately 

 after singeing ; and sometimes it does succeed in excit- 

 ing the absorbent vessels to a healthy action. 



If the horse carries a short, thick, and bright coat, 

 it would of course be madness to interfere with it ; but 



