VEINS — VENT I LA TION 



Veins. — The tubes which return the blood from the 

 different parts of the body to the heart. The blood in the 

 veins is of a darker colour than that contained in the arteries, 

 and it does not spurt, but trickles out of a wound. (See 

 Arteries, Bleeding!) 



Ventilation. — The question of sufficient and proper 

 ventilation is one of immense importance to owners of horses, 

 as if a sufficiency of pure air is not admitted into the stable, 

 the health of the animals is sure to suffer, whilst on the other 

 hand horses are peculiarly susceptible to the evil effects of 

 draughts. As a consequence, a great deal of care should be 

 devoted to the ventilation of the building, the best plan being 

 to arrange so that a fresh supply can enter from the bottom 

 whilst the foul air can escape through apertures placed high 

 up. In order to avoid the risks of draught some perforated 

 bricks may be laid in the walls a few inches above the ground, 

 and a wainscotting of wood be fixed inside so that the cold 

 air does not beat directly on the horses, but finds its way 

 upwards over the top of the wainscotting into the building. 

 The ventilators at the top of the stable should also be so 

 arranged that they are not directly over the heads of the 

 horses, and they should be provided with movable shutters, 

 so that they may be closed if the wind blows keenly from 

 the side of the building on which they are fixed. On no 

 account, however, should all the overhead ventilators be kept 

 closed, greatly as the majority of grooms delight in doing 

 so, but they should always be so arranged that a cold draught 

 cannot beat down upon the horses underneath. One curved 

 pipe, or more if the stable is a long one, fixed high up in 

 the roof, is a common and effective means of ventilation, but 

 nothing beats the perforated bricks, provided that they are 

 properly arranged, and the insides so protected that the air 

 is diffused over the building instead of beating down on the 

 horse. In warm weather, of course, the door and windows 



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