CHAPTER V. 31 



the droppings and the litter every day to 

 a given place ; by doing so he may get rid of 

 it in the easiest way for himself, and would be 

 doing the horse good too. The groom must 

 understand that he is to put the muzzle ^^ 

 on the horse when he leads him out to be 

 rubbed down or to the place where he rolls ; ^^ 

 in fact, the horse ought always to be muzzled 

 whenever he is taken anywhere without a 

 bridle. The muzzle, without hindering his 

 breathing, allows no biting, and when it is 

 on, it serves to keep horses from mischievous 

 designs. The horse should by all means be 

 fastened from above his head ; for instinct 

 makes him toss his head up when anything 

 is worrying him about his face, and if he is 

 fastened in this way, the tossing slackens the 

 halter instead of pulling it taut. 



In grooming, begin with the head and 

 mane ; if the upper parts are not clean, it is 

 waste labour to clean the lower parts. Next 

 raise the hair on the rest of the body by the 

 use of all the ordinary cleaning implements,^^ 

 and then clear away the dust by working 

 with the grain of the hair; but the hair on 

 the backbone should never be touched by 



