DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. 93 



Each boy having ridden his horse into his 

 stall, and turned him round in it, they all of 

 them dismount, and slack their horses' girths ; 

 they then take off their horses' hoods and 

 bridles, and if the horses' tempers are such as 

 will admit of it, each of the boys puts a handful 

 of hay on the ground before his horse's head, 

 for him to eat or pick at, while his head, neck, 

 and fore-quarters are being dressed. These 

 matters being done, the horses are turned round 

 in their stalls ; their collars and dressing muzzles 

 being put on, and their heads chained up, the 

 boys pick out and wash their horses' feet ; and 

 after giving their legs a few strokes down with 

 some clean straw, they take off their saddles and 

 body clothes, and dress their horses well ; they 

 then re-clothe them in their standing clothes, 

 throwing a hood over their quarters, their manes 

 and tails being combed out, their legs rubbed, 

 and their beds set fair. 



The exercise clothing and other things in the 

 stable being put tidily away, as the horses are 

 not now in training, their muzzles are taken off, 

 and their heads let down to the length of the 

 chain; their mangers being cleaned out, the whole 

 of the boys immediately, as in the morning, as- 

 semble at the corn-binn, where each receives from 



