THE HORSE : ITS KEEP AND MANAGEMENT. 69 



Horses which are restless in the stable, and pull 

 the bedding-down back with their fore-feet before lying 

 down, are far more liable to scratch their knees, or rub 

 them when they are lying down. I recommend that horses 

 which run should be clipped all over except the legs, but 

 tradesmen's animals, such as butchers, bakers, and grocers 

 use should be clipped trace-high, because of their having to 

 stand about, as there is not always time to put a rug on the 

 animals. It is very bad for them to be standing after they 

 are clipped, especially when it is raining, or is a very 

 cold day. If the hair is left on the back and legs the 

 animals do not feel the cold. Many people have their 

 draught horses clipped just in the same way, as they do 

 so much better and get through their w r ork easier. Of 

 course this is only done when draught horses have on a 

 heavy coat ; some of the hair is much finer than on 

 others. 



Various opinions are expressed as to when a horse 

 ought to be clipped. This depends a great deal on when 

 the animal sheds its coat. Some horses shed their coat 

 much earlier than usual in the Autumn. Many horses get 

 quite a winter coat by the first week in October. When 

 the summer coat is shed, and the other is fairly long in 

 the Autumn, and the horse is working very hard, it 

 becomes very faint. This is the time to clip the hair off. 

 I always like to give the animals a little tonic while 

 changing their summer coat for the winter, as at that 

 time they go down in condition more than at any other 

 period. 



