264 THE HORSE IN SERVICE 



shoe, designed for the purpose of giving frog pressure or pro- 

 tecting weak heels, tips, and pads. 



Hoof Dressings. — The boot blacking idea applied to the 

 feet of horses is inexcusable. No dressing is so attractive as the 

 natural horn, perfectly clean. If it is desired to prevent the 

 drying out of the horn after the removal of the natural varnish 

 in the operation of shoeing, neatsfoot oil without the customary 

 lampblack does not disguise but rather improves the natural 

 appearance of the foot. 



Clipping. — The removal of the hair consists of trimming and 

 incomplete or complete clipping. 



Trimming is the removal of the hair from certain parts only, 

 as the foretop, fetlocks, or ears. Trimming is largely a matter- 

 of fashion. 



Fashion in Horses. — The rule of fashion is not confined to 

 the boxes about the arena of the horse show; it prevails also in 

 the loose boxes adjoining the paddock. In compliance with the 

 dictates of fashion heavy harness and walk-trot-canter saddle 

 horses are docked, their manes pulled, but foretops left. By the 

 same authority, light harness and gaited saddle horses carry full 

 manes and tails ; while the former have foretops removed, as 

 a rule, the latter have their tails artificially set and have been 

 known to wear " wigs." Hunters and polo mounts must submit 

 to a hogging of manes and foretops, while the tails nowadays 

 are suifcred to remain full length, except for a square blocking 

 of the end, perhaps, while the bulk of the tail is reduced by pluck- 

 ing the hair from the sides of the dock. 



Drafters are docked but the hair is not trimmed. In the 

 show ring their manes are plaited * or rolled f and tails tied and 

 decorated.:}: The docked tail of the harness and saddle horsv 

 may be trimmed short like a brush, or have the hair parted, 

 breaking straight down when the tail is set, with the ends evenly 

 trimmed off, or the hair may be left untrimmed, as in French 

 tails ; the second method is most popular in this country. 



All " light-legged " horses have the feather and fetlocks re- 



* Lisher, Breeders' Gazette, March 11, 1915. 



f Dinsmore, Breeders' Gazette, September 24, 1913. 



% McChord; Montana Stallion Registration Board, Circular No. 4. 



