266 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse 



The effects of a hot stable are most to be apprehended 

 in carriage-horses, which are left standing out in the 

 cold for a longer or shorter period, when, of course, 

 they are most liable to catch cold. It would be 

 advisable to throw a rug over them, though with 

 harness horses in cities this is not possible in many 

 cases. 



It would require too much space to go here into 

 the question of clipping. It will suffice to say that 

 it is necessary to remove the coat if it is long and 

 the horse has to do fast work. Clipping is not an 

 unmixed blessing, however, and when it is possible 

 to keep the coat short by legitimate means it is 

 advisable to do so and to dispense with it. To 

 some extent the question of the thickness of the 

 coat depends on the individual horse, some horses 

 having heavier coats than others. Thoroughbred 

 and well-bred horses have a shorter coat as a rule 

 than underbred horses, and young horses than old 

 horses. 



The practice is quite universal, but it is carried 

 to extremes, and the horse for family use, etc., if 



