192 The Turkish Balk, and 



Not long ago a professional friend related a 

 circumstance which nearly cost him the spore 

 of the season. He had engaged a groom in 

 whom it was said was concentrated every 

 essential of good management, having had good 

 places and seen much experience among different 

 kinds of horses. The groom was a staunch ad- 

 vocate for the washing of horses, and constantly 

 advocated the principle under all circumstances. 

 One evening after a hard day our friend re- 

 turned, he and his horse well bespattered with 

 dirt, but by gentle riding homewards the animal 

 was quite dry on arrival. Notwithstanding this 

 the groom, single handed, stripped the horse, 

 obtained warm water, and was on the point of 

 making a commencement, when the proprietor 

 luckily entered and put a stop to the proceedings. 

 Had he been allowed to go on, the chances are 

 that with no other assistance the horse would 

 have remained a long time wet, and consequently 

 suffered from cold to such an extent as to lay him 

 off work altogether. 



In such cases as the one referred to, much more 

 reliance is to be placed upon the use of a straw 

 wisp or dandy brush, followed by the tools 

 already named at page 143. There will certainly 

 be no danger to be apprehended as by the adop- 

 tion of a protracted washing. 



It is impossible to lay down a code of rules 

 which are to the letter suitable for all stables. 

 What we have gone over already will be found 



