BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 153 



is less confined, more freely ventilated, and the horses are more 

 readily seen. Four feet is a sufficient height for the boarding. 

 The iron rails above the boarding should be of the simplest design. 

 All ornamental and scroll work is to be condemned. At the head 

 of the stall the iron rails ought to be discontinued and that space 

 filled in with cast plating for a width of 4 feet from the wall for 

 medium or small sized animals and for 5 feet for larger horses. 

 This plate prevents the horses seeing one another and worrying at 

 feeding time. The rear support or heel-post of the stall division 

 as well as forming part of the framework of the travise may, in 

 addition, act as a column to support the floor above. In either 

 case a circular iron pillar having a smooth face and free from 

 projecting bolts is to be preferred to a wooden post. 



The pillar should be finished off as shown in figure 58, and not 

 be surmounted with a ball of iron as is often done. Any projection 

 above the travise of this nature is liable to catch the harness or 

 bridle or cause the horse to bump his head when he is turned round 

 in the stall. Such a ball serves no good purpose, but is supposed to 

 be ornamental. The pillar should be well sunk into the ground, 

 have a broad baseplate and be imbedded in cement concrete. No 

 brackets or hooks for the purpose of hanging up harness ought 

 to be allowed on the heel-post. A ring on each side for the pillar 

 chains should be placed about 4 feet 6 inches from the ground as 

 shown in the figure. 



It is possibly an advantage for the travise boarding to stop 

 short about an inch above the ground. This allows some current 

 of air to pass along the floor and under the travise, thereby facili- 

 tating drying and keeping the low ends of the travise boards clear 

 of the damp bedding and wash-water. There are three objections 

 to this method, the risk of shoe heels being caught in the space, 

 the weakening of the whole partition and the fact that dirt accumul- 

 ates there. 



Bails (from O. Fr. bailie, a barrier). In place of the complete 

 stall division above described, modified ones in the form of swing- 

 ing planks or poles are sometimes used. These are known as bails. 

 They are chiefly used in military, temporary and, to a less extent, 

 in commercial stables. There are various patterns in use. The 

 simplest bails are in the form of an iron bar or wooden pole. This 

 type is much favoured by the military authorities. Wooden plank 

 bails are usually made of elm or oak 2 inches thick and 12 inches in 

 depth, the front 3 feet or so being covered with iron sheeting or 

 zinc to preserve the wood from horses biting it. Plank bails are 

 sometimes fitted with a subsidiary piece about 4 feet long and 1 foot 



