ON DRESSING RACE HORSES. 241 



warm ; the hood, therefore, is for a short time made use 

 of in this way to prevent the horse from becoming 

 chilly. His mane and tail being combed out, the boy 

 kneels down on the near side of his horse and rubs his 

 legs, first, with some soft straw, and afterwards with 

 his hands or a linen rubber. He then sets his bed 

 fair, and the horse is suffered to stand with his head up 

 and muzzle on until he is fed. 



This is the manner of dressing a quiet horse ; and it 

 is a horse of this description that a young boy should 

 first be put to look after, being directed by the head 

 lad until he knows thoroughly how to do every thing 

 necessary, as far as regards the cleaning of a horse. 

 After which, he may be changed from one horse to 

 another, until he can dress one of a different descrip- 

 tion. 



Race-horses, when they are sufficiently quiet, are 

 dressed as I have above-mentioned; but like other 

 animals, they vary much in their dispositions. There 

 are some of them which are high-couraged, thin- 

 skinned, short coated horses, many of which have to 

 sweat and scrape often. Take what methods we will, 

 some of them have a great aversion to being dressed. 

 They immediately become irritated on the boy's un- 

 buckling the roller to strip them ; they kick and lash 

 out and range about in the stall, and do every thing 

 they can to avoid being dressed. A groom or head 

 lad cannot too often caution a young boy to be cool and 

 patient in the dressing of such a horse. Indeed it 

 requires as much coolness and patience in the dressing 



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