Discreet Grooming.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 151, 29 April 1909, Page 4

Discreet Grooming.

The horse's skin has an infinite number of pores, which when open give off the perspiration and allow the waste products of the blood to find an outlet. It also contains mvriads of minute glands which secrete an oily substance necessary to render the skin soft and pliable, and which also furnish the nourishment demanded by the hair. It is essential, therefore, that these pores should be always kept open; otherwise the skin will become dry, rough and hard. This will chiefly occur in the case of horses at hard work, for then there is a larger secretion of fluid than when the animal is at rest, and if the perspiration be allowed to dry on* the skin dust accumulates, and unless the animal be carefully groomed the pores will be filled up and clogged. As a result the skin not only becomes diseased but the whole health is affected, impurities which cannot And an outlet accumulate in various parts of the body ami produce boils, which, if neglected, poison the blood and induce illness. Regular and thorough grooming keep* the pores open and helps to keep the horse healthy and provides it with a beautiful and shiny coat,