The hair of the fore-lock, mane and tail is useful to a horse, chiefly as a defence against the attacks of flies. The assistance which the mane gives when mounting, especially if the animal be tall and fidgetty, or when a mishap occurs over an obstacle, should be appreciated by every horseman. A properly developed fore-lock will act as an efficient eye-fringe; a sufficiently long mane, when thrown from side to side by a shake of the head and neck, will guard this part from flies; and an unmutilated tail will drive off these intruders, whose attacks on the genital organs and on the thin skin between the hind legs, have an exceedingly irritating effect. The sides of the abdomen, chest and shoulders, which are not within the protective reach of the tail, are covered by a broad muscle (panniculus carnosus), which, by contracting, has the power of twitching the skin, so as to drive off flies or other small irritating objects that may have alighted on it. This muscle is practically absent in man, but is largely developed in the cat. Although the breast is not provided with a natural fly whisk or superficial twitching muscle, it is within reach of the animal's mouth, which consequently protects it from the invasion of flies. The fact of horses being naturally provided with an efficient system of protection against flies, shows that such protection is needed by these animals, and that it is cruel to deprive them of it.

Unfortunately for horses, the cleaning of horse-hair is a trouble to grooms, who in almost all non-racing establishments are autocrats in the stable. Hence, the vast majority of even hunters have manes that are no use to the horses or to anyone else, and tails that have not much more hair on them, than is to be found on a worn-out scrubbing brush. Luckily for racehorses, the allowance of hair on their tails is fairly effective against flies; considering that they, contrary to the frequent practice with hunters, are not often turned out during the summer.

The mane may be trimmed by pulling out the longest hairs, a few at a time, after having twisted them round a fore-finger or stick. If this annoys the horse, the long hairs may be divided by running a half-shut scissors backwards and forwards across them, in the same manner as hair-dressers trim ladies' hair. The ends are held in the left hand, while the right uses the scissors.

A space of about an inch and a half broad should be cut out of the mane, just behind the ears, for the crown-piece of the bridle.

When hogging the mane of a pony, it is customary, in order to help the rider in mounting, to leave a lock of hair, which to be effective should be about half-way up the neck. The easiest and neatest way to hog the mane, is to cut it close, running the clipping machine along the top of the crest, and then on each side, so as to make the hair level. The old plan of hogging the mane, so as to leave a bristling ridge of hair, is tedious in execution and has a bad effect, in that, instead of preserving the natural outline of the neck, it gives the part an abnormally thick and high-crested appearance.

A switch tail may be trimmed in the same way as the mane.

The tails of thoroughbreds, which are very rarely docked, are generally banged at such a length that when the tail is pulled down, the ends of its hairs will reach to the point of the hock, or two or three inches higher. "The tails of officers' chargers, troop and detachment horses, are to be cut to such a length as to reach from 6 to 8 inches above the hock. The tails of draught horses will be cut to reach from 8 to 10 inches above the hock" (Queen's Regulations).

It is not the custom to dock or bang the tails of Arabs; a fine, thin tail being considered to be one of the marks of high caste among them. The supposed object of banging a horse's tail, is to add to the appearance of strength in his hind quarters.

The following methods may be used for banging the tail:

1. Get an assistant to place his hand under the dock, and to hold the tail in a position similar to that which it would assume when the animal is walking; then cut the hair level at the desired length with a specially made pair of shears, or with a strong pair of scissors.

2. Bind the tail round with a piece of cord, about six inches above the point at which it is to be divided. Then, with a sharp knife, cut the hair so as to give its ends the required slope.

3. Lay the tail at the desired length, across the edge of a broad adze, and divide the hair by a smart blow with a flat billet of wood. The adze should be held steady, the handle to the rear, the edge horizontal, and the blade sloped, so that the horse may carry his tail level at a walk. Any loose hairs may then be trimmed with a scissors. This is an admirable plan for troopers, with which despatch and uniformity are matters of consideration. For use with a large number of horses, a blade resembling that of an adze, but broader, may be let into a block of wood 4 or 5 lbs. in weight.

The coarse bristles (tentacula or feelers) which are about the muzzle of a horse, proceed from roots that are largely supplied with nerves, and consequently these hairs can act as delicate organs of touch. As a horse is not provided with hands or paws, he is dependent chiefly on his muzzle for purposes of feeling, a fact which is proved by the presence of these bristles on it, and by the great mobility of his upper lip. The bristles on the muzzle no doubt materially aid a horse in the selection and gathering of food. Also, the feelers about his eyes would help to save his eyes from blows when he is moving about in the dark. As all these bristles conduce to his well-being, they should be retained, despite their being regarded by some persons as an eye-sore. Like the hairs of the coat they gradually thin out towards their ends. Consequently, their action as organs of touch would be interfered with by cutting them, which operation would also lessen their pliability. We may therefore conclude, that if the bristles round a horse's muzzle be cut, he will suffer from discomfort, if not pain, when he attempts to feed, or when he is handled about the mouth, as for instance, in bridling him. Besides, clipping them gives a horse the disfiguring appearance of being badly in want of a shave. Although there can be no great objection, once in a way, to pulling out one or two of these bristles which may be longer than the others, the frequent practice of thus removing them should not be allowed; because it not only deprives the animal of a useful means of touch, but it also inflicts such severe pain on him, owing to the high sensibility of their roots, that the recollection of the sharp twinges will in all probability make the horse more or less difficult to handle about the muzzle.