WALKING A WET HORSE. 421 



close. To a horse hot, perspiring, and breathing very qnick, a 

 warm stable is particularly distressing. Some faint nnder it. 

 Till somewhat calm, he may stand with his head to the door, 

 but not in a current of cold air, at least not after he begins to 

 cool. 



"Walking a wet Horse. — Gentle motion to a heated horse is 

 necessary, to prevent the evils likely to arise from one set of 

 organs doing more than another set requires. But in many cases 

 motion after work is useful when the horse is not heated. He 

 may come in drenched with rain, but quite cool, and there may 

 be no one at hand to dry him, or his coat may be so long that 

 one man cannot get him dry before he begins to shiver. In such 

 cases the horse should be walked about. Were he stabled or 

 allowed to stand at rest in this state, he would be very likely to 

 suffer as much injury as if he were suddenly brought to a stand- 

 still when in a high state of perspiration. Evaporation com- 

 mences ; the moisture with which the skin is charged is con- 

 verted into vapor, and as it assumes this form it robs the horse 

 of a large quantity of heat. If he be kept in motion while this 

 cooling and drying process is going on, an extra quantity of 

 heat is formed, which may very well be spared for converting 

 the water into vapor, wliile suflficient is retained to keep the 

 skin comfortably warm. Everj^ body must understand the differ- 

 ence between sitting and walking in wet clothes. If the horse 

 be allowed to stand while wet, evaporation still goes on. Every 

 particle of moisture takes away so much heat, but there is no 

 stimulus to produce the formation of an extra quantity of heat ; 

 in a little while, the skin becomes sensibly cold, the blood circu- 

 lates slowly, there is no demand for it on the surface, nor among 

 the muscles, and it accumulates upon internal organs. By-and- 

 by the horse takes a violent shivering fit ; after this has con- 

 tinued for a time, the system appears to become aware that it 

 has been insidiously deprived of more heat than it can conve- 

 niently spare ; then a process is set up for repairing the loss, 

 and for meeting the increased demand. But before this calori- 

 fying process is fairly established, the demand for an extra 

 quantity of heat has probably ceased. The skin has become 

 dry, and there is no longer any evaporation. Hence the heat 

 accumulates, and the horse is fevered. I do not pretend to trace 



