264 THE HORSE IN SERVICE 



to a hogging of manes and foretops, while the tails nowadays 

 are suffered to remain full length, except for a square blocking 

 of the end, perhaps, while the bulk of the tail is reduced by pluck- 

 ing the hair from the sides of the dock. 



Drafters are docked but the hair is not trimmed. In the 

 show ring their manes are rolled and plaited. The docked tail 

 of the harness and saddle horse, may be trimmed short like a 

 brush, or have the hair parted, breaking straight down when the 

 tail is sot, with the ends evenly trimmed ofp, or the hair may be 

 left untrimmed, as in the case of the so-called French tails ; the 

 second method is most popular in this country. 



All " light-legged " horses have the featlier and fetlocks re- 

 moved to give a trim appearance, while some feather at least is 

 desirable on the draft horse, to augment the appearance of bone, 

 and even mild blisters may be resorted to- for the purpose of 

 stimulating its growth. 



Business horses may have foretops trimmed and tails blocked 

 as a matter of convenience. In stables of 100 horses, for in- 

 stance, the additional time required in doing up and brushing 

 out a long tail in bad weather is a considerable item in labor. 



Partial clipping consists in removing the hair from the legs 

 but not from the body, as is frequently done mth business and 

 road horses ; or the reverse, as is customary with hunters, the hair 

 being left on the legs for the protection it affords in the hunting 

 field. 



Complete clipping is justifiable and even necessary under 

 certain conditions. The horse naturally grows a heavy protec- 

 tive coat of hair in the fall which would be of the greatest service 

 to him under his original natural conditions. However, the 

 artificial conditions under which the average horse lives and 

 works render an excessively heavy coat objectionable. The horse 

 thus protected sweats undvdy at either ordinary or fast work, is 

 generally enervated and his system is relaxed, thereby rendering 

 him especially liable to contract colds. Furthermore, it is diffi- 

 cult and sometimes impossible to completely dry him after a 

 day's work. The removal of such a coat early enough in the fall 

 so that a light, protective coat may yet be grown before severe 



