264 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse 



when wet, etc., or if he has been dipped. Your stable 

 temperature should be right (about sixty degrees or 

 as near it as may be), and kept at that as you keep 

 your house. Thus no clothing, or only the lightest, 

 will suffice. 



The obtaining of a good gloss on the coat of a 

 horse is one of the chief cares of the stable. The 

 means employed for this purpose are frequently 

 objectionable and even harmful to his health and 

 usefulness. A glossy and short coat in horses doing 

 work, and particularly fast work, is, of course, 

 greatly to be desired, and, if it has been obtained 

 by legitimate means, increases the capacity of the 

 animal for labour and exertion. The principal factor 

 in producing a polish on the coat is plenty of groom- 

 ing. To ensure glossy and short coats by keeping 

 the temperature of the stable at too high a point is 

 eminently bad and must be severely condemned. 

 Yet some are addicted to this practice. Too much 

 clothing has also a prejudicial effect on horses, 

 though a sufficiency of it is to be recommended. It 

 is much better to ensure the horses being properly 



