92 HUNTING 



without incurring great expense, then we advise either 

 the landlord or tenant to consult Messrs Humphrey's, 

 of Knightsbridge, of whose stabling we shall have 

 more to say later on. 



The aspect of a stable should be south or south-west, 

 so that the horses face north or north-east. The stable 

 will thus gain the greatest possible amount of light with 

 the least possible amount of glare to the horses. 



The situation of the stable should be on a dry 

 soil. Many architects with antediluvian ideas seem to 

 have forgotten the deluge. They advise stables to be 

 built in a valley, pleading that warmth and shelter are 

 necessary for horses. If the windows and doors fit 

 properly, and the ventilators act properly, so that there 

 is no unhealthy draught, the question of shelter need 

 not arise. In regard to warmth, the temperature of 

 a stable should always — winter and summer — be 60°, 

 but it is not necessary to build a stable in a low valley 

 in order to obtain this temperature. The groom who 

 keeps his stable hot to make the coats of his horses 

 shine is like the Chinaman who burnt his house to 

 roast his pig. 



The construction of the outside v/alls of a stable, 

 should, if possible, be of hard stone. Bricks absorb 

 moisture, thus making a stable damp. In the absence 

 of a stone quarry, we recommend the corrugated iron 

 lined with wood, but there must be ample space 

 between the iron and the wood — the more ample the 

 better — which space should be filled up with saw-dust, 

 or some non - conducting material. If the buyer 

 patronises a good firm, these remarks are superfluous, 

 but, as very often he is seduced into employing a local 



