Tur Horse. 37 
the second, at the same time that it produces a glow on the 
skin and a determination of blood to it, rouses all the energies 
of the frame. It would be well for the proprietor of the horse 
if he were to insist—and to see that his orders are really obeyed 
—that the fine coat in which he and his groom so much delight 
is produced by honest rubbing, and not by a heated stable and 
thick clothing, and, most of all, not by stimulating or injurious 
spices. The horse should be regularly dressed every day, in 
addition to the grooming that is necessary after work. 
“When the weather will permit the horse to be taken out, 
he should never be groomed in the stable, unless he is an 
animal of peculiar value, or placed for a time under peculiar 
circumstances. Without dwelling on the want of cleanliness, 
when the scurf and dust that are brushed from the horse lodge 
in his manger and mingle with his food, experience teaches, 
that if the cold is not too great, the animal is braced and invig- 
orated to a degree that can not be attained in the stable, from 
being dressed in the open air. There is no necessity, however, 
for half the punishment which many a groom inflicts upon the 
horse in the act of dressing; and particularly on one whose 
skin is thin and sensible. The curry-comb should at all times 
be lightly applied. With many horses, its use may be almost 
dispensed with; and even the brush needs not to be so hard, 
nor the points of the bristles so irregular, as they often are. 
A soft brush, with a little more weight of the hand, will be 
equally effectual and a great deal more pleasant to the horse, 
A hair-cloth, while it will seldom irritate and tease, will be 
almost sufficient with horses that have a thin skin, and that 
have not been neglected. After all, it is no slight task to dress 
a horse as it ought to be done. It occupies no little time, and 
demands considerable patience as well as dexterity. It will be 
readily ascertained whether a horse has been well dressed, by 
rubbing him with one of the fingers. A greasy stain will detect 
the idleness of the groom. When, however, the horse is chang- 
ing his coat, both the curry-comb and the brush should be 
used as lightly as possible. 
