802 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. 



lathering, gives to the coat a lustre and a brilliancy which are not seen 

 in those of horses improperly cared for. The latter are always dull ; 

 the white and light gray are dull and ordinarily soiled by the litter in 

 the regions of the thighs, the buttocks, the sides, the elbows, the knees, 

 the hocks, and the fetlocks. 



Nourishment, Condition, Health. A good alimentation, es- 

 pecially a grain regimen, a satisfactory degree of corpulence, and a good 

 state of health render the hairs smooth, fine, brilliant, the shade of 

 the coat more bright, and the skin supple. On the contrary, in poorly- 

 nourished, thin, emaciated, or diseased horses the hairs are rough and 

 staring and have a dead color. 



Atmospheric Action. Animals which are always exposed to the 

 action of the open air and the sun, and those which run in pasture day 

 and night, for example, are soon sunburnt or tanned, and are covered 

 with long, dry, dead, staring hairs of lighter tint. It is different with 

 those which are constantly kept in the stable, protected from the atmos- 

 pheric inclemencies, the dust, or the cold by coverings or blankets, 

 under which the coat loses nothing of its lustre and its brilliancy. 



Humidity of the Air. Dampness makes the coat darker, by 

 moistening the hairs, causing them to adhere to one another, and 

 modifying their reflections ; mist or fog simply deadens it, in the man- 

 ner of a brilliantly-polished object which is placed in an atmosphere 

 charged with watery vapor. 



Sunlight. The direct action of sunlight altogether changes the 

 aspect of the coat, especially in well-groomed horses. It then commu- 

 nicates to the hairs incomparably bright shades and brilliant reflections. 

 Under these conditions the white, the light gray, the black, the bay, 

 the sorrel, and the Isabella become, according to circumstances, silver, 

 jet, golden, copper, bronze, and sometimes rainbow-colored. In the 

 shade all these peculiarities disappear. 



Season and Climate. The influence of the seasons and the 

 climates seems to be dependent upon the sunlight and the hygrometric 

 state of the air. Thus the hairs are shorter, smoother, more shiny, 

 and darker in summer than in winter, when they lose their reflection, 

 become longer, coarser, paler, and washed. Besides, in warm climates 

 the coat is more brilliant and its shades brighter than in cold and moist 

 climates. However, these characters change as soon as the atmosphere 

 becomes cloudy and damp. This is due to the less intense light and 

 to the moisture, two causes which contribute to render the coat dull 

 and sombre. 



Moulting. In general, moulting or shedding the coat gives to 



