CHAPTER II. 



STABLE MANAGEMENT. 



Importance of Good Stabling — Prejudices of Stablemen — 

 Heated Stables Prejudicial to Hardiness — The Middle 

 Course Recommended : a Warm but Well-ventilated Stable — 

 Draughts to be Avoided — Drainage — Loose Boxes v. Stalls — 

 Feeding — Oats — Beans — Quantity of Food to be Given — 

 Bran-mashes — Hay and Chaff — Bad "Doers" — Maize — 

 Green Meat — Water — Clothing — Bandages — Clipping — 

 Singeing — Treatment of the Feet — Shoes: The Charlier 

 Principle Explained — Washing the Legs After a Journey — 

 The Stall: Dimensions and Fittings — Paving the Stable — 

 Litter — Vices: Crib-biting ; Eating the Litter ; Kicking and 

 Biting ; Wind-sucking ; Slipping the Head Collar ; Gnawing 

 the Halter ; Weaving ; Kicking the Stall. 



fT will be apparent to everyone, that in the secret of stable 

 management there is much that goes to the root of the 

 — well-being of our horses. Just in the same way that a 

 man well housed, properly fed and cared for, can, with certain 

 success, compete against him who has none of these blessings 

 and advantages, so does the judiciously fed and stabled horse 

 live far longer, and do infinitely more work, with less trouble 

 to himself, than the pampered animal on the one hand, and 

 the ill-treated one on the other. Let us begin on the subject of 

 the stable itself. If left to his own sweet will, depend upon it, 

 your groom, unless he be quite free from the ordinary prejudices 

 and failings of his class, will keep your horse too hot. The 

 reason of this is obvious. He wishes him to carry a good 

 c-oat, and will sacrifice anything to that object. Now, it is 

 perfectly clear that the horse that is boxed up in a place 



