MANUAL FOR STABLE SERGEANTS. 57 



135. Windows and roof ventilators. In calm weather the 

 windows and ventilators should always be kept open. During 

 storms they should be closed on the windward side only. When 

 the storm ceases they should all be opened again. In warm weather 

 the doors should also be kept open. 



136. Temperature of stable air. Horses suffer very little 

 from cold; they stand changes of temperature remarkably well, and 

 chills from standing in a draft when heated and tired are the only 

 changes of temperature which are likely to produce sickness . Stables 

 are therefore not intended to keep animals warm, but to protect them 

 from draft and storm. 



Hot stables produce a fine glossy coat, cause the animals to put on 

 fat, but also lower their vitality and increase their susceptibility 

 to disease. Cold stables produce a rough heavy coat, there is not 

 much tendency to put on fat, and the animals require more to eat, 

 owing to the increased demand on the heat-producing function. 

 They are healthier, however, and better able to stand exposure and 

 hardships, such as animals of the military service may at any time 

 be called upon to do. 



When new horses are put for the first time in the stable, or when 

 older horses return from maneuvers or duty in the field, the greatest 

 care should be taken with regard to ventilation. Every door and 

 every window should be left open or for a certainty they will con- 

 tract a catarrh. 



137. Care of stalls and floors. As soon as the horses are 

 through feeding in the morning they should be removed from the 

 stable and the stalls thoroughly cleaned. At the same time the 

 doors and windows should be opened to thoroughly air and dry out 

 the building. 



Mangers and feed boxes must be kept clean. Hay and grain that 

 have been left in them should be removed and the boxes washed at 

 least once a week, and always after bran mashes have been fed. 



The bedding is carefully shaken out and sorted, and all parts 

 which can be used again are put to one side. 



Manure and waste bedding must be taken to the manure heap 

 daily. 



138. Cement, brick, and stone floors, during warm weather 

 and in the Tropics, are best cleaned by scrubbing with water, using 

 the hose and stable brooms where available, the floors being allowed 

 to dry before putting down the bedding. In cold weather this is 



