used by the Canadian mounted police at one
time when turning their horses out, and they found they did not chafe and
rub so much as leather ones did. It was found that even moving through the
wet grass the steel hobbles were polished, kept bright, and required no
attention, whereas the leather ones perished and became hard, and gave
constant trouble unless carefully looked after. I have never tried this
plan myself, for I have found the Cape system of knee-haltering when
turning animals out to graze the best I have yet come across.

Picketing-pegs (_make_).

Picketing-pegs should be made out of hard wood about eighteen inches to
two feet long; iron ones are dangerous. They should be driven into the
ground in a slanting direction, the point towards and the head away from
the animal, to resist the strain on it. If there are no tent-pegs, or the
ground is so soft that there is no holding for them, a hole a couple of
feet deep can be dug, and a bundle of straw or a couple of tent-pegs tied
crossways buried in it, the earth trodden down, and the rope brought out
at the surface. This will give ample holding, and may be practically
tested, for although a vertical pull will easily bring it up, the
strongest man will fail to move it if the strain is horizontal.

Leading-ropes (_bagh durie_).

Leading-ropes are things that ruin half the horses' mouths in India, and I
never let such a thing into the stable. If they are used as they were
originally intended to be, that is, buckled into the ring of the snaffle
or watering bridle to lead the horse with, they do no harm; but it is
impossible to prevent "syces" from passing them over the head and then
back through both rings, so as to form a gag, and this they hang on to. I
always make them use a leading-chain, which is a leather strap with about
a foot of chain and a snap-hook at the end of it. The hook fastens into
the ring of the snaffle, and they cannot well pass the strap over the head
to turn it into a gag. It seems impossible to teach a "syce" how to lead a
horse in a watering bridle, and I find these chains the best compromise.

Brushes and Gear.

The grooming utensils required in an Indian stable are very simple: a
horse-brush, curry-comb, bucket, some dusters, and a hoof-picker, being
the sum total; but only one of these last is required among five or six
horses. It is best to get English bristle brushes, they last out two of
the native fibre ones, and are very lit