54 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



work, or for hunters rode with harriers : hunters, 

 as they are now used with foxhounds, should be 

 kept several degrees warmer, particularly about 

 the time they are changing their coats. At this 

 time, a few days will change a horse's coat from 

 satin to cotton velvet, unless the thermometer 

 in the stable is closely watched, and each horse 

 watched also. Lucky, indeed, is the man who, if 

 he does not strictly attend to this himself, has got a 

 groom who will. All the comfort — nay, luxury — 

 of a fine coat in a horse will be destroyed by a few 

 days' inattention in the autumn. Let him once 

 get his coat up at this time, you may look for- 

 ward to early summer to see him with a fine one. 

 Nature is uncommonly obstinate in this particular: 

 if she is permitted to put a pea-jacket on a horse 

 about the time I mention, I defy art to take it off 

 again unless she cuts it off. 



I have heard a diversity of opinion between 

 the good or bad effects of two different modes of 

 keeping horses warm, some advocating very cool 

 (I do not say absolutely cold) stables, with heavy 

 clothing ; others very warm stables, wuth lighter 

 clothes: and these two opposite modes I have 

 heard discussed by men who were quite competent 

 judges of the matter. I should be very pre- 

 sumptuous, w^here such men disagreed to pretend 

 to say which was wrong ; but I can have no hesi- 

 tation in saying the man w^ho took the middle 



