5o8 The Book of the Horse. 



most numerous and complex at the heels, the bend of the knees, and the groin ; hence 

 want of cleanliness and wet readily produce such local diseases as grease. 



" It is said that the amount of perspiration given off by a horse in twenty-four hours 

 is equal in weight to that given off as dung." 



These explanations show why good grooming is essential to bring a horse to the highest 

 condition, because good grooming removes the accumulation of sweat, scurf, and dirt, which 

 otherwise clog the skin. In the absence of good grooming, the scurf collects at the surface 

 of the skin and about the hair, fills up the pores and produces irritation, the sweat glands 

 cease to act properly, and excretions which ought to be thrown off in sweating remain in 

 the skin, and produce many diseases. 



The best instrument for grooming is a good bristle brush, laid on briskly, steadily, and 

 regularly, with a will, not merely rubbed over the surface to smooth the hair down. By 

 this friction not only are all the dried substances, dandriff, and clotted sweat removed, 

 but the blood is brought to the surface, and the glands and pores are brought into healthy 

 action. To perfect the process, exercise should precede grooming, and the brush should 

 follow the exercise, without allowing time for the sweat to cake on the skin and obstruct 

 the pores. 



Grooms often commence their work by "strapping" a horse with a damp wisp of hay. 

 This is all very well as far as it goes. When vigorously done it has partly the effect of 

 shampooing, by bringing the blood to the surface ; but it must be clearly understood that 

 no horse can be thoroughly cleaned by the application of a wisp, for it only plasters the dirt 

 into him. Nothing less than a good bristle brush, skilfully and vigorously applied, will bring 

 a horse's coat into proper condition. 



When a horse returns from work or exercise, then is the time for drying and cleaning 

 him. If he is very hot and exhausted he should be walked about until he is cool, and his 

 pulse has resumed its usual action. The operation should not be deferred, as is often the 

 case, until the polished parts of saddlery or harness have been cleaned. Bits, stirrups, &c., 

 may, if needful, be rubbed with an oil rag to prevent rust ; but the owner should insist that 

 the horses are cleaned first. But when a horse is exhausted from hunting, or long hours of 

 continuous work, it may be better to simply sponge him over, clothe him, give him a drink 

 and a mash, before proceeding to dress him thoroughly. 



A horse's feet must always be washed, so that the groom may have no excuse for not 

 seeing that the soles and hoofs have received no injury, and that the shoes are in good 

 order. 



Warm water is generally used to wash horses' legs in winter. This is really not for the 

 benefit of the horse, but for the comfort of the groom's hands. This fact is an additional 

 reason for constructing in every stable of importance a powerful doucJic. If the legs are 

 washed, they must be carefully dried, but the bandages must be removed as soon as they have 

 absorbed all the moisture in the hair. A horse's legs should never be washed until dry. 



There is a carbolic soap expressly manufactured for stable use which is said to have valuable 

 qualities. I have used it to wash young horses fresh from grass, and I think with advantage. 

 It is better at any rate than the common soft soap. 



Formerly it was considered essential to stop up horses' feet after work with a composition 

 of clay, salt, and cow-dung, but since the introduction of the Charlier shoe, and since many 

 who do not adopt the Charlier have taken to cultivating the frog, and using a shoe that lets it 

 touch the ground, stopping has gone out of favour. With the Charlier shoe there is no room to 



