rubbed for five minutes at each grooming hour. This
hand-rubbing should commence from the lower portion of the limb and be
continued upwards, not in the reverse direction, which is the usual
practice. The limb should be lifted up, and the fingers worked with a
kneading motion behind the tendons.

Washing.

The feet, mane and tail are the only parts that should ever be washed,
unless specially ordered, and then as seldom as possible. When the feet
are washed, great care should be taken that they are carefully dried
afterwards, and bandages put on, as leaving the legs wet is one of the
chief causes of cracked heels, more especially in the winter months, if
there is a dry cold wind blowing. If soap is used, it should be soft-soap;
or, better still, the soap nut, or "reita." This is a berry, the shell or
outer covering of which, when soaked in water, swells up into a sticky
mass, that lathers like soap, and by natives of India is used for washing
purposes.

Uneven Manes.

When the mane gets ragged and uneven, it should be carefully brushed down
four or five times a day with a damp water brush, to make it lie flat. The
long hairs on the under side next the neck should be pulled out, so that
the mane is thinned, and the lower part lies in a perfect curve along the
neck. Some horses object, and are a little troublesome during this
process; but, if it is done gradually, it can be easily accomplished. The
long hairs in the mane should never be cut, unless it is intended to clip
it off altogether, and make it into a "hogged" mane. If the mane will not
lie down flat with an even sweep, it can be covered with a cake of mud for
four or five days, when it should be removed, and renewed if necessary.
Being dry, it will crack, and the pieces can be easily knocked off, and
the dust brushed out. The mud cake generally has the desired effect after
having been applied four or five times.

Hogged Manes.

The manes of polo ponies and cobs it is the fashion to "hog," or cut off
close to the neck. It is best to leave the forelock, as it gives a certain
protection against the flies and glare of the sun; also, to leave a lock
of hair on the wither, to grasp with the hand when mounting. The best
implement to hog a mane with is a pair of ordinary horse-clippers, but
don't use a new pair, or they will get spoiled; old ones that are no use
for the rest of the body, do well enough. It is best to sit on the
animal's back when the mane is