ILLUSTRATED GUIDE. 163 



STABLE MANAGEMENT. 



This is a very important part of our subject, even as a it 

 regards the farmer, although there are comparatively few 

 glaring errors in the treatment of the agricultural horse; 

 but it comes more especially home to the gentleman, who 

 is too often, and too implicitly, under the guidance of an 

 idle, ignorant and designing groom. We will arange the 

 most important points of general management under the 

 following heads. 



AIR. 



The breathing of pure air is necessary to the existence 

 and health of man and beast. It is comparatively lately 

 that this has been admitted even in the management of our 

 best stables. They have been close, hot, and foul, instead 

 of airy, cool and wholesome. The stable should be as 

 large compared with the number of horses that it is des- 

 tined to contain, as circumstances will allow. A stable 

 for six horses should not be less than thirty feet in length, 

 and thirty feet wide. If there is no loft above, the inside 

 of the roof should always be plastered in order to prevent 

 direct currents of air and occasional droppings from broken 

 tiles. The heated and foul air should escape, and cool, 

 pure air be admitted, by elevation of the central tiles, 

 or by large tubes carried through the roof, with caps a 

 little above them, to prevent the beating in of the rain, 

 or by grating placed high up in the walls. These latter 

 apertures should be as far above the horses as they caa 



