84 STABLE ECONOMY. 



organ ; but, except among thick, torpid-skinned, long-haired 

 horses, it is too harsh for this purpose. In grooming thorough- 

 bred, or fine-skinned horses, its principal use is to clean the 

 dust from the brush, which is done by drawing the one smartly 

 across the other. 



The Wisp is a kind of duster. It removes the light dust and 

 the loose hairs not taken away by the brush ; it polishes the 

 hair and makes the coat lie smooth and regular. The brush 

 penetrates between the hairs and reaches the skin, but the 

 wisp acts altogether on the surface, cleaning and polishing 

 only those hairs, and those portions of hairs, which are not 

 covered by others. Applied with some force, the wisp beats 

 away loose dust lodged about the roots. It is often employed 

 to raise the temperature of the skin, and to dry the hair when 

 the horse is cold and wet. In many stables the currycomb 

 and the wisp form the principal, or the only instruments of 

 purification. 



Valuable horses are usually dressed in the stable. The 

 groom tosses the litter to the head of the stall, puts up the 

 gangway bales, turns round the horse, to have his head to the 

 light, removes the breast-piece, and hood, when a hood is 

 worn : he takes away the surcingle and folds back the quarter- 

 piece, but does not remove it entirely. It keeps the dust off 

 the horse. With the brush in his left hand, and the curry- 

 comb in his right, he commences on the left side of the horse, 

 and finishes the head, neck, and forequarter ; then his hands 

 change tools, and he performs the like service on the right 

 side. The head requires a deal of patience to clean it proper- 

 ly ; the hairs run in so many different directions, and there 

 are so many depressions and elevations, and the horse is often 

 so unwilling to have it dressed, that it is generally much 

 neglected by bad grooms. The dust about the roots, upon 

 the inside and the outside of the ears, is removed by a few 

 strokes of the brush, but the hair is polished by repeatedly 

 and rapidly drawing the hands over the whole ear. The 

 process is well enough expressed by the word stripping. 

 Having finished the fore part of the horse, the groom returns 

 his head to the manger, and prepares to dress the body and 

 the hind quarters. A little straw is thrown under the hind 

 feet to keep them off the stones ; the clothes are drawn off, 

 and the horse's head secured. The clothes are taken to the 

 door, shook, and in dry weather exposed to the air, till the 

 horse is dressed. After the brushing is over, every part ef 

 the skin having been entirely deprived of dust, and the hair 



