BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 161 



Internal Loose-Boxes. Boxes fitted in the stable naturally 

 occupy the corners. The dimensions must be sufficient to allow of 

 a moderate amount of freedom of movement, and for all ordinary 

 purposes 150 square feet or so will be found to be ample if formed 

 in a square. Seven feet is a suitable height for loose-box partitions, 

 and this allows a good margin of safety. Wood panels surmounted 

 by open rails are preferable to all-wood partitions as a better air 

 exchange is possible, and animals can be seen without opening the 

 door and thereby disturbing them. The close wooden parts of the 

 partition separating the box from the adjacent stall should be 

 about 4 feet in height; those of the door and passage partition 

 need not be higher than 3 feet. The railings at the head of the 

 stall must be filled in with iron sheeting as recommended for stall 

 fittings. The door of the box must have a minimum width of 4 

 feet, as narrow doorways are a common cause of accidents. Doors 

 must be hung to open outwards. If hung the reverse way, each 

 time a door is opened the straw gets pushed in and caught 

 under the door, or, if a horse is cast in the box and lying across 

 the doorway, it is impossible to open it. The door fastening should 

 be of the safety type, with the latch sliding out of sight and out of 

 danger when the door is opened. It must be capable of opening 

 from either side, and have handles flush with the wood. A manger, 

 hay rack and water receptacle are best placed one in each corner. 



It is sometimes recommended that loose-box walls be lined with 

 wood to a height of 4 or 5 feet. This is not necessary, and indeed 

 for sick boxes the practice is to be condemned owing to the in- 

 creased difficulty in cleaning and disinfecting. Cement plaster is to 

 be recommended for this purpose. 



Convenience for fastening a horse in the box is necessary, for 

 which a horizontal bar running between the manger and hay rack 

 and on a level with them is as good a method as any. The bar 

 should hold a ring to which the horse is tied, allowing him to move 

 from manger to rack as he may desire. One or two rings, fixed 

 about 5 feet 6 inches high, are convenient to tie the animal to when 

 grooming. 



The surface channel or gutter may pass under the door, or 

 through any part of the partition which is most convenient, to join 

 the main channel. The floor should be of concrete or metallic 

 brick, grooved on the surface and falling away from the walls and 

 partitions towards the channel. 



External Loose-Boxes. External boxes may form an integral 

 part of the stable accommodation as in private hunting establish- 

 ments, or be built solely for emergency purposes as for the reception 

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