CLIPPING, SINGEING AND TRIMMING. 75 



horses, as such protection is needed against rain, snow and sharp 

 ■winds, so as not to superinduce increased perspiration. There are 

 many of our farm horses whose hves could be made less irksome 

 were they shorn of one-half of their winter's growth of hair, and 

 then judiciously cared for. 



" Let no person suppose, however, that should he decide to clip 

 his horses, there will then be no need to dry the weary beasts — thus 

 his care will be less. Better let him bear in mind that a clipped horse 

 stands in absolute need of greater care, and that the benefits to be 

 obtained are an improved condition and better ability to endure 

 fatigue, also a trimness of look pleasing to some. The head and ears 

 of a horse require the most skillful manipulation, as very little hair 

 should be removed ; the legs from the knee down should also be light- 

 ly treated. "What is necessary is to wash off mud, then rub the legs 

 and especially the heels very dry. A wet or very cold day is precisely 

 the extreme of weather in which no careful groom wiU clip or 

 singe a horse. A fine bright or (if wet to be waited for) a moderate 

 and a dry day is the weather to select for the operation in which the 

 horse's health and comfort are risked." 



CUpping can be properly performed only by an expert, even with 

 the greatly improved implements now used for the purpose. The 

 old-fashioned comb and shears have been superseded by patent 

 horse-clippers, which are made of various patterns adapted to the 

 head, body, and other parts of the horse. A still more advanced in- 

 vention is the power clipper, of which there are several patterns in 

 the market. These are driven by steam or horse power, or a man at 

 a crank, and the best of them will cUp from seven to ten horses in a 

 day. The manner of operation isshown by figure 48, on next page. 



No horse should be clipped unless it is in sound health. If it is 

 suffering from any symptoms of a cold or recent indisposition, the 

 clipping must be postponed until health is f uUy re-established ; nor 

 should any person have a horse clipped until he has provided all the 

 clothing necessary for the cHpped animal. Whatever may be said in 

 favor of clipping or singeing under proper circumstances, the practice 

 is utterly indefensible unless the loss of natural protection is made 

 up by subsequent care and artificial protection. 



THE TAIL, WANE, ETC. 



The tail and mane were given to the horse both for use and 

 beauty. They are means of protection against the attacks of insects 

 upon those parts which the horse cannot reach with its teeth or feet. 

 Thft tail also seems to act in some way as a sort of rudder when the 



