242 ON DRESSING RACE HORSES. 



of some horses as in the riding of others, and until a 

 boy has been properly taught and long accustomed to 

 irritable, flighty, and high-couraged horses, he should 

 be strictly watched. When a boy knows how to 

 dress a horse, such as I have here described, and 

 when he can patiently bear with whatever the horse 

 may be inclined to do, without abusing him, he be- 

 comes as valuable to the groom in the stable, as a good 

 riding boy is out of it. 



In the dressing of such horses, it is necessary to 

 take every precautionary measure we can, to avoid as 

 much as possible making use of anything likely to 

 annoy them. There is seldom or ever any occasion to 

 use a curry-comb about the body of such horses in 

 summer. The only use of the comb at this season of 

 the year is in the cleaning of the brush, which latter 

 is, at almost every stable-hour, in pretty general use ; 

 and what is termed a good one in hunting or saddle- 

 horse stables, is made of the best Russian hair, and has 

 been some time in use. This is a sort of brush that 

 few thin-skinned horses can bear to have applied to 

 their bodies. They endeavour all they can to shift 

 from it. Even quiet horses will show their dislike to 

 being brushed over with such brushes, by shifting and 

 ranging about in their stalls. Others of a more irrit- 

 able disposition I have known to become quite vicious 

 at the time of their being brushed over. One horse 

 may be seen endeavouring to fly at the boy, while an- 

 other may be observed trying to press the boy with 

 the whole weight of his body against the side of the 



