320 THE CONDITION OF HUNTERS 



animal excretions ; and our own feelings convince 

 us of this whenever we enter a dirty stable. Here, 

 however, a great change has taken place in the practice 

 of grooms, and a most beneficial one it is to horses 

 under their care. The old plan was to put a very 

 large bed of straw in a horse's stall twice a week, re- 

 moving very little of the foul litter at other times. 

 The consequence was a great accumulation of offensive 

 matter, the greater part of which is now removed 

 every day, and fresh straw supplied. Another im- 

 provement has also suggested itself. The truss is 

 cut through with a hay-cutting knife, which makes 

 the straw go much farther, and for this obvious 

 reason — when it is of tolerably long growth, one end 

 of it gets stained, whilst the other is quite clean ; 

 but in this case, of course, it must all be thrown out 

 together. 



Apologising for this trifling digression, I proceed 

 to state that a clean, wholesome, warm, and dry 

 stable is a great desideratum in getting horses into 

 condition ; and, although I would not carp at trifles, 

 yet if a person were to say to me, " I will build you 

 stables for eight hunters for your own use," the follow- 

 ing should be the plan. 



I would have two four-stalled stables, in which 

 I would keep only six horses — i.e. three in each ; and 

 I would have a loose box at the end of each. If 

 possible I would have a southern aspect, with windows 

 opening from the top or downwards, or else on a 

 pivot in the centre, and placed so high in th^ wall 

 that, when open, the air may be circulated through 



