A good plan of finding out if a horse's coat is clean, is to go up to the side of the neck upon which the mane falls, and after turning the mane over to the other side, to examine its roots to see if there is any dandruff present. If the horse stands this test, the roots of the hairs of the tail may be inspected with a similar object. Finally, the point of a fore-finger may be run over the croup and ribs against the grain of the hair. The line or lines thus drawn will leave a streak of dandruff. It is no uncommon occurrence to find in a badly groomed horse, that although the upper surface of the mane and tail may have been neatly brushed down with a wet water-brush, the hairs underneath are full of dandruff. Any roughness at the back of the pasterns, to say nothing of cracked heels or grease, will show that the grooming has been faulty; and the presence of thrush will have to be put down to the debit side of the groom, unless the shoeing smith has allowed the heels to grow much too long, in which case, both men will probably be to blame. A want of gloss on the coat, marks left on the legs by the strings of bandages, and an irregular condition of the mane or tail, will be presumptive evidence that the groom is either lazy or incapable.