STABLE OPERATIONS. 85 



polished till it glistens like satin, the groom passes over the 

 whole with a wisp, with which, or with a linen rubber, dry or 

 slightly damped, he concludes the most laborious portion of the 

 dressing. The clothes are brought in, and replaced upon the 

 horse. His mane, foretop, and tail, are combed, brushed, and, 

 if not hanging equally, damped. The eyes, nostrils, muzzle, 

 anus, and sheath, are wiped with a damp sponge ; the feet are 

 picked out, and perhaps washed. If the legs be white and 

 soiled with urine, they require washing with warm water and 

 soap, after which they are rubbed till dry. When not washed, 

 the legs are polished partly by the brush and the wisp, but 

 chiefly by the hands. The bed and the stable being arranged, 

 the horse is done up for the morning. 



It is not an easy matter to dress a horse in the best style. 

 It is a laborious operation, requiring a good deal of time, and 

 with many horses much patience and dexterity. Ignorant and 

 lazy grooms never perform it well. They confine themselves 

 to the surface. They do more with the wisp than with the 

 brush. The horse when thus dressed may not look so far 

 amiss, but upon rubbing the fingers into his skin they receive 

 a white greasy stain, never communicated when the horse has 

 been thoroughly dressed. 



All horses, however, can not be groomed in this manner. 

 From strappers, carters, farm-servants, and many grooms, it 

 must not be expected. Such a dressing is not of great ser- 

 vice, at least it is not essential to the horses they look after, 

 nor it is practicable if it were. The men have not time to 

 bestow it. 



The horse may be dressed in the stable or in the open air. 

 When weather permits, that is, when dry and not too cold, it 

 is better for both the horse and his groom that the operation 

 be performed out of doors. When several dirty horses are 

 dressed in the stable at the same time, the air is quickly loaded 

 with impurities. Upon looking into the nostrils of the horse, 

 they are found quite black, covered with a thick layer of dust. 

 This is bad for the lungs of both the horse and the man. I 

 suppose it is with the intention of blowing it away, that stable- 

 men are in the habit of making a hissing noise with the mouth 

 The dust, besides entering, and probably irritating the nostrils, 

 falls upon the clean horses, the harness, and everything else. 

 Racers and other valuable horses are almost invariable dress- 

 ed in the stable, and there they are safest. They have little 

 mud about them [and from frequent grooming and constantly 



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