114 AMERICAN STABLE GUIDE. 



can only be seen in animals of a high standard of health, 

 and which cannot in all cases be gained by a perfect plan 

 of grooming alone, but by other considerations, as good 

 feeding, stabling, &c. In addition, nor will those latter in 

 their utmost perfection, attain so desirable an end without 

 the careful performance of the former. Although separate 

 and distinct in their application to the horse, they are 

 inseparable from a healthful development. 



The implements or appliances that are necessary and 

 used in the private stable of the gentleman, are more in 

 number but not less in effect than those found in stables 

 of less pretensions. They consist of the curry-comb, 

 familiar to everybody, made of iron, with saw-teethed bars, 

 of much use on the hair of heavy draught horses in winter, 

 but of very doubtful applicability in summer on the fine 

 and thin hair of all horses, particularly of fine bred 

 animals. For the heavy horse, the curry-comb is the 

 first implement brought into use in the act of grooming, 

 and is used to ruffle and tease the hair to remove dust and 

 dandruff from the skin. This use of the curry-comb, we 

 have for many years opposed, because in cold and frosty 

 seasons, the more closely the hair lies to the skin, the 

 warmer and more comfortable will the animal be ; there- 

 fore, the curry-comb if used at all, should be drawn the 

 way the hair lies and not against it. The most important 

 use to which the curry-comb can be applied, is to remove 

 the dust from the broad bristle or body-brush, by drawing 

 the face of the brush against the teeth of the comb. 



