THE HO"RSE-KEEPER'S GUIDE. -291 



The circulation, excited to a violent extent, does not tran- 

 quillize itself so readily when exertion ceases; the heart 

 and the internal organs acting in unison, continue for a 

 time the same energetic action which severe exertion re- 

 quires, and, unless care be taken to prevent it, inflamma- 

 tion ensues, from the iri'egulai-ity ir. the distribution or cir- 

 culation of the blood. Motion, gently kept up for a while, 

 prevents this, from the reason that it keeps up the circula- 

 tion of the blood, and tends to lay the extraordinory excite- 

 ments to which the entire system has been subjected. As 

 soon as the pulse indicates a more natural coolness, say 

 under forty pulsations in one minute of time, further mo- 

 tion may be suspended, and the operation of cleaning and 

 putting the animal to rest may be commenced. The heat 

 of the skin is not a safe criterion — the state of the pulse is 

 the only safe guide. The horse should be led, not ridden. 



There ai'e other cases in which walking a horse just re- 

 turned from work, is useful, besides when violently heated 

 from exertion. In rainy weather, he may he quite wet, 

 but not heated ; should there be no one at hand to dry his 

 skin, he will soon begin to shiver. In any such case, walk 

 the horse about for a time ; for were he to stand at rest 

 while in this state, a severe cold, and all its unpleasant con- 

 sequences, would most probably be the result. This case 

 is exactly analagous to where an individual stands still in 

 his wet clothes ; and the result in both instances are very 

 nearly the same. The best way to dry a wet horse, is to 

 rub him with wisps; this however requires both strength 

 and experience to do well ; an idle or a neglectful stable- 

 man may rub a horse for an hour or more, and yet not halt 

 dry his skin. First, with the scraper, take away all the 

 \^ ater you can ; then rub the skin with soft wisps, often 

 changing them, that the moisture may thereby be absorb- 

 ed : the legs and under part of the body should be especi- 

 ally looked to. When the horse is thus dried, there is lit- 

 tle probabihty of his catching cold; the friction of the wisp 

 keeps up the circulation of the blood, and the horse may be 

 put up without any fear of mischief accruing. 



It may, however, happen that a heated or wet horse can- 

 not be immediately attended to, nor kept in motion. In 

 such a case, give him a scraping, to remove the worst oi 

 the wet or perspiration, and then clothe him ; this will ren- 

 der him much less likely to tab cold, and may be cciisid 



