whether the horse scatters his food. Xenophon believed that if the horse scattered his food he was showing symptoms of too much blood, and was in need of veterinary care, that he was over-fatigued, and required rest, or that he suffered from indigestion or some other sickness. He stressed that this symptom should be used as an early sign of sickness so that the horse's keeper will be able to catch the illness early. Xenophon also stressed the importance of caring for the horse's feet. He suggested that the flooring of the stable should not be damp and should not be smooth, and that the stable should therefore be built with sloped channels of cobblestones the size of the horse's hoof. The stableyard should be of pebbles to strengthen the hooves, and should be surrounded by a skirt of iron so that the pebbles do not scatter. These surfaces are intended to strengthen the hoof wall, frog, and sole of the hoof. The groom should curry the horse after he is fed each morning, and should unhalter the horse after he has been fed. The mouth should be cared for and made soft with the application of oil. Part V: Grooming the Horse The horse's groom should be well-trained. He should not tie the halter to the manger where the rope meets the head, as the horse is likely to knock his head on the manger and injure himself. The sores will then make him less tractable when bridled or groomed. He should also tie the horse at a point above the level of his head, so that, when the horse tosses his head, he slackens the rope rather than tightening it. The groom should be instructed to clean the animal's stall every day. He should attach a muzzle to the mouth when the horse is taken out to be groomed or to roll, or whenever he is taken somewhere without a bit, so that the horse cannot bite, preventing the horse from that bad vice. The groom should first clean the head and mane, and work his way down the animal's body. The hair should be brushed first against the grain, to lift the dirt, and then in the direction of the hair, to remove the dirt. However, the back of the horse should not be touched with a brush, but the groom should use only his hand to