172 LIGHT HORSES: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



human skin. It is a mistake to wash either the body or legs 

 of a horse ; it does no good, and takes up a great deal of time, 

 as after washing the horse must be rubbed till the coat is per- 

 fectly dry. Good strapping, however, cleanses the skin by 

 clearing off what has exuded from the pores, and conduces 

 to a good coat, and it may here be remarked that no groom 

 should in any circumstances be permitted to give any drug 

 with the idea of producing a glossy coat. The curry-comb, 

 it need hardly be said, should never be used to a hunter or 

 harness horse ; its use now is to cleanse the brush from the 

 scurf coming from the body. In order that time may not be 

 wasted, and that the horse may not suffer by make-shifts, 

 there should be as many sets of "tools" in use as there are 

 helpers, so that each man may have a set to himself. 



Clothing is a matter of individual taste. The best kersey 

 with the owner's initials on it looks very nice and smart ; but 

 for all practical purposes the fawn rug is just as good ; while 

 for night wear, the outside rug may be of jute lined ; these 

 rugs are very cheap and useful. When a horse is at work 

 the opportunity should be taken of exposing his rugs to the 

 air, instead of leaving them huddled up in the manger as 

 careless servants will sometimes do, and they should be 

 periodically beaten and brushed. In short, extreme cleanli- 

 ness is a sine qua non in all departments of the stable. 



In many establishments there is a perpetual battle going 

 on between hot stables and light clothing, and cool stables 

 and heavy clothing. Both arrangements have their advocates 

 just as both have their weak points. In this matter, however, 

 as in others, extremes should be avoided. It is useless to 

 say that a stable should be kept up to a certain tempera- 

 ture, because during the continuance of a hard frost the 

 stable may be many degrees below the ideal temperature; 

 and when that is the case the owner need not fear to put 

 on loose bandages, three rugs and even the hood ; but speak- 

 ing generally, a couple of rugs and a moderately warm stable 

 will best preserve the horse's health. 



