CLIPPING OP TROOP HORSES. 
621 
late Commandant of Okehampton :— a I£ blankets were allowed, clipping 
the horses would be beneficial to them, saving to the men, and satis¬ 
factory to all concerned. Now that there are frequently manoeuvres in 
the late autumn, when the coats of the horses are breaking and the 
horses weak, the effects of the hard work are seen throughout the winter, 
and if there happens to be a change of quarters in the spring, through¬ 
out the next year. When I commanded a battery I always noticed that 
a horse which lost condition after September, never recovered it until 
the spring was well over; what, then, would be the condition of horses 
leaving for active service in the early spring after trying autumn man¬ 
oeuvres ! Horses which are clipped and clothed pick up condition in 
winter as readily as they do in summer, and are fit for work all the year 
round. I notice the horses which arrive at this Camp in the 1st divi¬ 
sion of batteries feel and show the effects of a march while their coats 
are in process of changing. If they were clipped in the winter this 
process would not try them nearly so much.” 
6. The present service blanket (issued when in Camp) is of very 
good material, and ought to last and be serviceable (if taken care of) 
for at least three years. The shape, however, is against it, and I would 
suggest that it be hollowed out in front, like the horse-rug of civil life, 
bo supplied with a leather strap and buckle in front (to fasten across 
the chest), which, with the usual roller and pad, would be all that was 
necessary to keep it in its place, and prevent its shifting : the present 
twine fastenings are most faulty and unserviceable. 
7. And now comes the question “ Where are we to carry our extra 
blankets if ordered on service during the winter?” Well! such a 
contingency is so absolutely remote that it may be discarded as utterly 
improbable, and it is a difficulty that could be easily surmounted, and 
one that need not be touched on here. All we want and all we ask, 
is, “ Allow us to clip our horses ! give us the means of doing it, and 
supply us with blankets, and if we are ordered on service as a 1st 
Army Corps battery in the winter, we will find some means of carrying 
any extra blankets, should they be required,” which in my humble 
opinion they would not. 
In private life we clip our own horses, and even in these days the 
cab and ’bus horses get this indulgence, so why should we deny it to 
our troopers ! 
8. To sum up, then, the following are a few among the many ad¬ 
vantages which can be claimed in favour of clipping 
(a.) Increased facility for grooming and keeping the animal’s 
coat clean, thus promoting health and condition. 
( b .) Great saving in labour to men, and of exertion to the horse. 
(c.) Power to move over longer distances and at a faster pace 
without distressing the horse unnecessarily. 
( d .) Liability to catch colds and chills, throat and chest affections 
is decreased. (These diseases, as an after effect, often 
produce roaring). 
