302 



grooming than one with ''black points." The white 

 parts must be washed with soft soap when the horse 

 is dressed in the morning, and he will always be 

 clean when wanted. The last thing" to do before 

 taking- the horse out is to carefully comb and lightly 

 water-brush his mane, which will always give him 

 a smart appearance. 



CLIPPING AND SINGEING. 



Clipping horses in winter when their coats are 

 rough is a decided advantage both to the horses 

 and their attendants. There is no fixed time for 

 clipping, much, of course, depending upon the thick- 

 ness and setting of the coats of different horses. A 

 clipped horse is able to do a great deal more work 

 than an undipped one. He will keep fresher, grow 

 more vigorous, and is altogether in better spirit than 

 a horse carrying his thick winter coat. Many a horse 

 that cannot be kept in condition previous to clipping 

 will often grow too big and fit for his work after his 

 coat is removed. The legs of hunters should never 

 be clipped, because when hunting for a long day 

 over a wet, dirty district, the legs in consequence 

 are liable to strike out in " mud fever," which detracts 

 from the appearance of horses, and is a disease 

 which takes a good deal of time and trouble to cure. 

 The hair should be left on the legs from six to eight 

 inches above the knees and hocks, and it should slope 

 upwards from rear to front (Fig. 41 ). The hair should 

 also be left on the back of the horse below the saddle, 



