MANAGING A HORSE ON A JOURNEY. 15 



to supply that which is removed, and care must be taken that 

 he does not stand still when without it, as, of course, he is more 

 likely to take cold from this cause than before. The fact is, the 

 horse must have a temporary coat instead of a permanent one, 

 one that can be removed when at work and supplied when at 

 rest. 



The advantages of clipping are unquestionable ; many horses 

 can thereby be kept in condition throughout the winter that 

 cannot by any other method. 



The chief difference between singeing and clipping is, that by 

 the former the hair is removed more completely ; by the latter, 

 it can be done several times during the season. 



Modern researches in organic chemistry have thrown much 

 light on the rationale of exercise in promoting condition. It is 

 now well known that the fat of the body is capable of being 

 used up in the lungs, by combining with the oxygen of the air, 

 and so forming carbonic acid gas. Thus strong exercise is 

 necessary, not merely to get rid of the superfluous fat by sweat- 

 ing so much as to use it up in the lungs by increased respira- 

 tion. — Ed.] 



DIRECTIONS rOR MANAGING A HORSE DURING A JOURNEY. 



Previously to setting off on a journey the horse sliould be 

 brought into good condition by being worked out for two hours 

 every morning, and fed as I have directed in the chapters on 

 feeding and exercise. The feet should be carefully attended to, 

 and if they are dry and brittle, the soles should be stopped a few 

 days with cow-dung, then pared rather thin, and for about a 

 week before he begins his journey the feet should be kept 

 stopped with tar ointment, which is then much better than clay 

 or cow-dung, and in the course of a week will considerably im- 

 prove the quality of the horn, and tend in a considerable degree 

 to cool the feet. This ointment is of great use, also, about the 

 heels of the frog and coronet, especially when they are dry and 

 cracky. A horse had better be new shoed about the same 

 time ; for when it is done just before he sets off, the shoe may 

 not fit exactly, or a nail may be driven too close, and the horse 

 be found lame in consequence during the first or second stage. 

 The saddle or harness should be carefully examined, as much 

 inconvenience sometimes arises during a journey from saddle or 

 harness galls. The most important thing to be attended to 

 during a journey is the method of feeding, as, by improper 

 management in this respect, not only great inconvenience and 

 delay often arise, but sometimes the most serious diseases are 

 the consequence. The hay should be examined, and the best that 



