When the sweat is running off profusely a scraper will answer better than a wisp or cloth. Manes and Tails Manes and tails should be brushed, not combed. A comb pulls out the hairs, and will soon make a mane or tail thin. A switched tail may always be produced by combing it at the end. Almost any mane may be made to lie on the side desired by frequently damping and brushing it or if need be, by plaiting it with lead.
Civilians prefer the mane being laid to the off side.
With troop horses it is always laid to the near side, with the view of enabling the dragoon to take a lock of it in his hand before mounting. The practice of mounting with a lock of the mane in the bridle hand is good, because it lessens the chance of giving the horse a chuck in the mouth from the bit. Most horses, which are unsteady on being mounted, have become so from having received such chucks. The saddle also is less likely to shift from its proper position, when the rider is assisted in mounting by having hold of the mane. That proper care and hygienic conditions conduce to the welfare and longevity of horses is provided by the carefully-preserved statistics of the army horses, and also of the great studs kept by omnibus and other trading companies who employ large numbers of animals.