430 
STABLE MANAGEMENT. 
in weight and how they have thriven. I regret that they were clipped, but still 
there was the result of it. 
And I should like to know whether Colonel Walters would recommend in very 
hot weather like we had last summer what I have tried at Aldershot,, at Dorches¬ 
ter, and here, namely, taking the horses out at nine o’clock at night and watering 
them ? 
Major E. A. Yorke, It.H.A.—Colonel Walters has spoken about the hardness 
of the water. When I was with batteries in India the horses were falling away, 
and, apparently, there was no reason for it. I spoke to the Veterinary Surgeon, 
and he tested the water and found it was very hard, so he emptied two cart-loads of 
dry earth into the water, and the result was admirable—the horses picked up at 
once. And I have often thought whether here, where the water is so hard, there 
would be any good result from getting up pure earth and having a certain 
amount put into the water troughs, stirred through with a clean stick and allowed 
to settle down again—whether that would have the effect of softening the water, 
which is no doubt very hard here. 
Lieut.-Colonel E. T. Browell, R.A.—I should like to ask Colonel Walters 
whether there is any special symptom by which one can telEthat the horses are 
not being properly watered ; whether there is anything that particularly points to 
that ? 
Captain W. J. Honner, R.A.—There are just one or two points I should 
like to say a word about. I have had much experience of clipping in India in 
two campaigns, one in Miranzai and the other in the Black Mountains. In the 
Black Mountains we were 10,000 feet above the sea, and the campaign took place 
in December and January ; in the Miranzai the cold was so excessive that we had 
several cases of frost-bite among the animals. All the animals were clipped all 
over, not a single one died, and all put on condition during the whole of the cam¬ 
paign. After commanding a battery for five years I came to the conclusion 
that an animal should be clipped all over in winter, and twice a year if possible; 
in summer I clip under the saddles and under the girths, this was for pack chiefly, 
because it .is much more difficult to avoid galls. I have tried not clipping the legs, 
and I find it is certainly better; at the same time the men are saved much trouble 
by clipping the legs. We had one or two cracked heels from clipping, but I think 
the advantages are in favour of saving the men by clipping. 
Colonel Walters spoke about the curry-comb. I never could find out the reason 
why the curry-comb had teeth, and I found it was utterly impossible to prevent the 
men, especially the natives,from grooming with the curry-comb, so I had to give way 
to it, and to order that they should use the curry-comb when they liked, but the 
teeth were removed and the edges all rounded, and it acted as a scraper. I found 
that by doing that the animal’s temper improved very much. It was the teeth 
in grooming the animals that irritated them, and made them kick; after the 
teeth were, removed and the edges rounded, the corner rounded, I found that they 
did not mind the curry-comb at all. I just put forward the suggestion that 
service curry-combs should have no teeth, and should.have the edges rounded. 
About evening stables, I am glad to hear Colonel Pipon advocate no grooming. 
I never groom at evening stables. I regret to use the word cc I ” so often, but I 
have had a great deal of independent work ; we had no Veterinary Surgeon, and 
had to look after these things ourselves. Our evening stables were entirely devoted 
to the legs for six years, and we had no grooming at evening stables. I forget 
what grooming was done in the morning. Colonel Walters says none ; but if you 
go in the stable and look at the horses in the morning you will see how very dirty, 
as a rule, they are turned out, and if you look at them on parade, and see how 
nicely the horses must be turned.out, that gives you an idea of how much trouble 
the men have to take in the early morning, so I think before we come to the con- 
