S6 HORSE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA 



The skin of the well-groomed horse will be in the best 

 possible condition to play its allotted part when the 

 system is called upon to perform violent exertion, but not 

 to resist the continued effect of cold during a state of 

 inactivity. Hence, such an animal should, when he is at 

 rest, be provided with an adequate supply of warm cloth- 

 ing, to make up for the loss of the protection which was 

 afforded by the scaly part of the outer skin, and by the 

 increased amount of hair possessed by him in an un- 

 groomed condition. 



Washing the Horse. — This practice is, as a rule, in- 

 jurious ; for it not alone removes the natural oil from the 

 skin, thereby rendering the coat dull, but is also apt to 

 produce chill, which, I need hardly say, is the fruitful 

 source of many equine ailments. In a warm atmosphere, 

 a horse that is heated and perspiring can take no harm 

 from being washed, provided he is quickly dried. Owing, 

 however, to the large surface of the body and the presence 

 of hair over it, it is difficult to dry a horse thoroughly in 

 time to prevent the chance of his catching cold, and then 

 to apply sufficient friction to stimulate the oil-glands to 

 renew the gloss his coat lost from the washing. If it is 

 imperative to wash, and there is not sufficient assistance 

 to have the animal rubbed dry without loss of time, we 

 may, after scraping and rubbing him over, put on a good 

 supply of warm clothing, bandage his legs, and leave him 

 thus to dry under his rugs, which he will do in an hour 

 or less. He should, after that, be exercised or warmly 

 stabled, so as to prevent him becoming chilled. 



Water has no power to remove the scaly part of the 

 outer skin, its effect being confined alone to any dust or 



