138 



HEALTH AND DISEASE 



It has been suggested, as an objection against clipping, that a horse, after 

 the removal of a thick coat, is likely to take cold; but this objection may 

 be easily disposed of by the use of extra clothing for a time. In some 

 cases among working horses a portion of the hair is left on the back and 

 loins and also on the extremities. 



Clothing, in the best establishments at any rate, is looked upon as one 

 of the necessities of stable management, and if we accept Stewart's observa- 

 tion that its effect is to keep horses warm without endangering the purity 

 of the air they breathe by restricting ventilation, it is evident that the use 

 of clothing can be defended on hygienic principles. Clothing is in favour 



Fig. 488. Horse-clippers 



Fig. 489. Clippers for 

 Trimming Legs 



with grooms and coachmen, and is sometimes used to excess for the purpose 

 of keeping a horse's coat fine and glossy. It must be quite obvious, how- 

 ever, that thick clothing during hot weather is in every respect objection- 

 able, and that, when it is employed, it should be regulated in regard to its 

 weight, according to the climatic conditions under which the horses are 

 placed. 



Bedding. In stables where luxurious appliances are in vogue, a 

 sufficient quantity of straw of good colour and quality is considered to 

 be indispensable for the comfort of the horse, as well as for the appearance 

 of the stable; but when economy is an object, as in the case of large estab- 

 lishments, moss-litter is commonly employed, or, in place of it, saw-dust or 

 tan. It was when moss-litter first came into use that there was a great 

 outcry about the injurious effects of the litter on the horses' feet; certainly 

 in some cases the hoofs of animals standing on the moss-litter were found 



