The best time to groom a hard-working horse is on his return from labour; for then appropriate grooming will perform its most valuable office of lessening the danger of chill by preventing the surface from cooling too rapidly. Also, when the skin is warm, it will be easier to distribute the secreted oil over the skin and through the coat, than when it is cold. It is evident that the object of fortifying the horse's skin against cold air outside by grooming, is of no great importance, supposing the animal is put to quick work immediately he leaves the stable. Hence, in most cases (even including those of racehorses), the early morning grooming is of a light description; the serious strapping being reserved until the return home. Even if it were necessary to make a horse look as smart as possible before taking him out of the stable, as would be the case with fashionable carriage horses, we should not neglect to thoroughly stimulate his skin when he comes back, supposing that he had done a fair amount of work outside. When there is plenty of help in the stable, the grooming may generally be carried out in a manner similar to that usually employed with racehorses, namely, a light grooming in the early morning; a thorough grooming on the return of the animal from work or before his mid-day feed; and a repetition of this grooming in the afternoon. If a horse returns a good deal fatigued after his work, as would be the case with a hunter which had gone through a long day, it would of course be injudicious to fatigue him still further by a long protracted grooming; and consequently the strapping, in this instance, should not exceed that which would be sufficient to guard him from the effects of chill. If a well fed horse does not leave his stable, no relaxation in the grooming should be permitted. When the question of economising paid labour has to be considered, "quartering" (p. 341), or even "setting the coat" once or twice a day, may have to be substituted for regular grooming.