184 THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN 



into close and heated stables before their constitu- 

 tion has attained its maturity, and, as is the case 

 with children reared by anxious parents, warm atmo- 

 spheres, pampered appetites, and close confinement, 

 cause premature debility and early decay. 



It is impossible now to change the system : horses 

 are too expensive to maintain, to allow the breeder 

 to keep them out of the market, when once they can 

 yield a profitable return ; and therefore every horse 

 is trained to work before he is five. The only re- 

 medy is, in their subsequent management, to avoid 

 errors that may render them yet more delicate, and 

 on the other hand to guard against any carelessness 

 that is only innoxious to hardy constitutions. 



Almost all stables are found so built as to be liable 

 to the extreme either of warmth or cold. In the 

 country, the last is the common error ; but in Lon- 

 don, and all large towns, the mistake is on the other 

 side. The great value of building-ground in towns 

 makes it unavoidable ; but where there is sufficient 

 space, it is unintelligible why so little attention is 

 shown to the construction of the stabling. Almost 

 every country stable opens directly to the weather, 

 so that in all seasons there is a constant current of 



