BEDDING 19 



on the bare ground, he will abstain from staling longer 

 than he ought to do, and, maybe, to an injurious extent. 

 Most of us old Indians know that a straw mat, expres- 

 sively called, in Hindustanee, a smtid patee, or cold mat, 

 is the coolest thing on which to lie during the hot weather ; 

 so we may infer that straw forms an equally grateful 

 couch for the horse. While he is out at morning and 

 evening work, the bedding should be removed, and dry 

 straw should be substituted for any that may have become 

 soiled or wet. 



A slight additional expense is the only objection to 

 keeping the horse bedded down by day. 



I have found that sawdust makes a good substitute for 

 straw, though I am inclined to think it takes some of the 

 polish off the coat. " Stonehenge " remarks " that it soon 

 heats when wetted with urine, and ammonia is given off 

 profusely, so that great care must be exercised to change 

 it as soon as it becomes soiled." 



When a horse has on a high-heeled shoe — as during 

 treatment for sprain of the back tendons or suspensory 

 ligaments, etc. — sawdust makes the best bedding, for it 

 will not catch in the long calkins. Alone, without a 

 raised shoe, it enables a horse to assume a comfortable 

 position for the injured limb. 



Sand forms a very cool bedding for horses, who gene- 

 rally show by frequently rolling on it that they like 

 having it under them. Its use spoils the look of the 

 coat for the time being, on account of its absorbing a 

 considerable part of the oil which is secreted by the 

 glands of the skin, and serves to keep the hair soft and 

 pliable. A serious objection to the use of sand as a 



