ON CLOTHING, ETC. 163 



tlie stall ; and from this habit, they will sometimes 

 give themselves blow^s on their legs. With horses 

 which do this sort of thing, and which may not have 

 been accustomed to fetters, it may be the safer way to 

 let their boots remain on after they come in from 

 exercise, until they are dressed and clothed up. A 

 trainer cannot be too careful of his horses' legs, but 

 more particularly of the legs of such horses as require 

 strong work. 



Now, accordingly as horses strike themselves from 

 the fetlock joint to the knee, so should the length of 

 the boots be regulated, and their size must be accord- 

 ing to the size of the horse's leg. They should be 

 made of the same stuff as their woollen clothes. Some 

 boots may be made so short that two buckles are 

 sufficient to secure them on ; others require three 

 buckles, and some few may require four. This must 

 naturally depend on how high up different horses may 

 strike themselves ; at the bottom and front part they 

 should be hollowed out, to give freedom to the action 

 of the fetlock joint, and also to prevent friction in 

 that part. The edges of the boots on the outside of 

 the leg should be made to lap over about an inch, 

 to relieve the pressure of the buckles. Some boots are 

 made to tie with strings ; this is a matter of choice ; 

 I think the first mentioned security by far the best. 

 They should be lined inside with white serge or linen ; 

 and that part of the boot which goes up the inside 

 of the leg, should be padded, and the outside of 

 the same part should be covered with leather, such 



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