122 THE HOESE 



check the action of the oil glands, which, under 

 natural conditions, secrete oil to assist the thatch 

 or covering of hair to turn off rain ; also, unless 

 each part is immediately and thoroughly dried, 

 one of the above-mentioned skin diseases will be 

 likely to appear. 



A sweating horse should be unmediately dried 

 on its return home by vigorous rubbing with hay 

 or straw wisps. If a heated horse is allowed to 

 dry by evaporation it will probably contract a 

 chill. The extremities should always be dried 

 first, and while this is being done a blanket should 

 be thrown over the body. A fruitful source of 

 coughs and chills is exposure of the heated back 

 and loins to the cold while the groom is drying 

 legs and head. The saddle or harness should al- 

 ways be left on while these parts are attended to, 

 and in addition, if the horse is very hot, a blanket 

 should be throTsm across the loins. While on this 

 subject we may suggest the advisability of always 

 throwing a light cloth across the loins of the 

 clipped harness horse in winter if it has to stand 

 about out-of-doors for more than two or three 

 minutes. 



If for any reason it is impossible to immediately 

 dry a perspiring horse, the evil consequence which 



