OF FARRIERY. 



261 



In the first place, the hay is easily put into 

 it, and renders a hay-loft over the stable un- 

 necessary ; and this may be an inducement to 

 the builder, to make it as lofty as it ought to 

 be, and render other ventilation unnecessary. 

 \1\ the hay that is put into this rack will be 

 eaten, but in the common rack, it is well 

 known that a large portion of the hay is often 

 pulled dos^/i upon the litter, and trodden 

 ttjJon, vvLereby a considerable quantity is 

 often vrastisd. It prevents the hay-seeds, or 

 dust from falling upon the Horse, or into his 

 eyes ; and what is of considerable import- 

 ance, thouo:h seldom attended to, there will be 

 an inducement to the groom to give the H^rse 

 hay in small quantities at a time, and fre- 

 quently, from the little trouble which attends 

 putting it into the rack. 



The saving in hay that may oe effected by 

 the use of this rack is so apparent, that it 

 need not be dwelt upon A great saving also 

 may be made in oats, by so fastening the 

 Horse's head during the time of feeding, that he 

 cannot throw any of them out of the manger. 

 If a Horse is allowed a peck of oats a day, and 

 has, as he may have, one-eighth part of them 

 thus saved, it will amount to nearly a peck in 

 a week. There must not however, be a dimi- 

 nution in the Horse's allowance on this ac- 

 count. If my advice with respect to feeding 

 be followed, he must have one peck of oats 

 in twenty-four hours, but then he must not 

 have more than from eight to twelve pounds 

 of the best hay in that time, given at four, or 

 three times ai least. 



In the rack I have now been describing, 

 every ounce of hay consumed by the Horse, 

 will be perfectly digested, and keep the sto- 

 mach in health. 



This kind of rack and manger, from being 



boarded up in front, will effectually prevent 

 the litter from being kept constantly under tao 

 Horse's head and eyes, by which he is com- 

 pelled to breathe the vapours which arise 

 from it. It will also prevent him from getting 

 his head under the manger as sometimes 

 happens, by which means, not unfrequently the 

 poll-evil is produced. 



The length of the halter should be only 

 four feet from the head-stall to the ring, 

 through which it passes ; this will admit of 

 his lying down with ease, and that is all 

 which is required. 



The ring should be placed close to that 

 side where the manger is, and not in the 

 centre of the stall. The sides of the stall 

 should be sufficiently high and deep, to pre- 

 vent Horses from biting or kicking each other. 



In post and waggon stables, where the stall 

 is made for a pair of Horses, the manger will 

 be placed at each end, and the rack in the 

 centre. It will then be necessary to put one 

 bar in the centre of the rack, on the top, from 

 the front to the back part, to prevent the 

 Horse from throwing out the hay with his nose. 

 This I have lately seen absolutely necessary in 

 a waggon stable. But in this case there was 

 an unlimited quantity of hay allowed, and 

 that often of a bad quality ; which probably 

 was the cause of the Horses throwing it out 

 with their noses; but the cross-bar prevented 

 them. The window of the stable should be 

 at the south-east end, and the door at the 

 opposite end. The window should be as high 

 as the ceiling will admit of, and in size pu.- 

 portionate to that of the stable. In one o( 

 twelve feet high, it need not come down more 

 than four feet, and will then be eight feet 

 from the ground, and out of the way of being 

 broken. The frame of the window should bo 

 3 u 



