292 THE HORSE 



few minutes after he has drunk. No horse should be 

 called on for his highest effort immediately after eating 

 or drinking heartily. It will do no harm to again em- 

 phasize the need of furnishing the horse a full and 

 frequent supply of water, if he is healthy, and it is 

 desired to keep him so. 



GROOMING 



The grooming of the horse, under certain circum- 

 stances, becomes an important factor in efficiency of 

 performance. Those called on for rapid work for short 

 periods can hardly be groomed too much. Relatively, 

 too much attention is usually given to the body and 

 too little to the legs. The groom has pride in the 

 "shine;" the driver has more interest in having the 

 legs hard and limber. The legs of a horse should 

 always receive first and largest attention: often they 

 receive the last and least. Much of the body -grooming 

 of the horse may be dispensed with if blankets are 

 judiciously used. 



The proper use of blankets requires some skill. If 

 the horse is allowed to stand on the street in cold or 

 windy weather, he should be covered with a heavy, 

 large blanket immediately upon stopping, although he 

 may be sweating. But if the horse arrives at the 

 stable sweaty, where he is measurably protected, he 

 should not be blanketed until he has ceased to steam. 

 For, if he be covered at once, little opportunity is given 

 for him to dry off, and the blanket will become damp 

 and the hair may remain so all night. True, this diffi- 



