70 THE HORSE. 



DRESSING THE MANE. 



In general the manes lie to the right side ; but in 

 some horses it is parted in the middle, falling equal- 

 ly on each side of the neck. To make it lie, the 

 groom combs and wets it several times a day. When 

 that is not sufficient, he weaves it into ten or fifteen 

 plaits, with a piece of lead at the extremities. 

 Draught horses should seldom have the mane or 

 tail thinned ; they have a marked, stiff appearance 

 when deprived of too much hair. 



TRIMMIVG THE EARS. 



The inside of the ear is coated with fine hair, 

 which is intended as a screen against rain, flies and 

 dirt. It is a very common, but a very stupid prac- 

 tice to trim this hair away by the roots ; and the 

 consequences must be sometimes highly disastrous. 

 Cropping the ears was once frequently practised, 

 but is very rarely done now. 



TRIMMING THE FACE, 



The nostrils and lips are protected by long fine 

 hairs, scattered wide apart, and standing perpendicu- 

 larly to the skin ; these hairs perform the same func- 

 tions as the whiskers of the cat, and are of great 

 importance. The roots are endowed with a pe- 

 culiar sensibility, and serve as sentinels to warn the 

 horse of the presence of injurious objects. There 

 are several grouped together above and below the 

 eye. The slightest touch on the ends of these hairs 

 is instantly felt by the horse. It is usual with 

 grooms to cut these hairs off, but they can give no 

 reason for doing so ; and the annoyance which the 

 operation gives the horse ought to warn them to de- 



