CARE OF THE HORSE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18518, 15 March 1930, Page 14 (Supplement)

CARE OF THE HORSE

VALUE OF GROOMING. Let the horses, when they come in from work be groomed with the dandybrush, or briskly rubbed over with wisps of clean straw. The grooming with comb and body-brush is best done in the morning, at midday, and at the evening feeding hour, when the horse’s coat is dry.

The brush is the chief instrument in grooming, the comb being used to clean the brush and to unravel tangled or matted tufts of hair, to remove soil from the legs which has become embedded in the hair, etc. The currycomb (says Live Stock Journal), should be as lightly as possible applied to the neck and shoulders or other parts of the animal’s body that have been marked with the harness, because of the danger of scratching or breaking the skin. Care must be taken, however, to brush the hair and skin quite clean, so as to leave no matted or clogged matter that would be liable to cause friction under collar or saddle, etc.

When the horse sweats a lot, as he frequently does in summer, careful and regular grooming is necessary to keep the coat and skin clean. Unless the skin is kept clean the pores become choked with sweat and dust.

The proper use of the brush does more than remove the scurf and dust; it stimulates the action of the skin, just as massage does. The groom leans some weight on the brush as he applies it vigorously with a straight arm in the direction of the coat, but sometimes with a sort of circular sweep, if the coat is dirty. After the brush, a soft rag or a wisp of twisted straw or hay may be used to import the finishing touch that makes the coat glossy. The feeding also accounts for the fine bloom of the horse’s coat. If unsatisfactorily fed no amount of grooming will make the coat shine. On the other hand, good and generous feeding will not achieve its object without regular and careful grooming. Clipping certainly facilitates the work of grooming, and it is the means of preventing excessive sweating in harness in close, warm weather; but a horse should never be clipped to make it unsightly, as is sometimes done. The clipping should not be too close to the skin. Newly clipped horses should not be stood In a cold draught, nor exposed to cold, wet weather unless they are kept moving. A warm rub may be thrown over the horse in cold weather. This helps to keep the coat clean and glossy.