THE LOOSE BOX. 51 



stall. A cheap substitute for bricks is cement, which after 

 being put down is quadrilled. Many of the patented devices 

 are often combined with the different forms of flooring. The 

 writer's preference in the matter of flooring is for that part 

 of the stall on which the horse stands to be of wood. To 

 make any of the other materials comfortable for the horse 

 an extravagant amount of bedding is required, unless peat 

 moss is used. 



William Day, the eminent English race-horse trainer, 

 advocates the use of the old-fashioned paving stone laid 

 down with a proper pitch ; however, his thorough and con- 

 scientious supervision renders the use of such simple methods 

 practicable, which with less careful attention would be the 

 source of constant annoyance. Earth floors are favored by 

 some owners, but their use is open to the same objection as 

 that of cobblestones. Complicated arrangements, or those 

 that require much time or labor on the part of the attendant, 

 are undesirable and ineffective for obvious reasons. 



THE LOOSE BOX. 



Loose boxes are considered better for horses than stalls. 

 The original outlay is not very much greater, but they are 

 more costly to bed down ; twice as much straw being required, 

 and its consumption is proportionately more rapid owing to 

 the greater soiling surface offered, which renders the drainage 

 less perfect. For ordinary purposes a box measuring lo x 12 

 is large enough. The doors should either slide laterally on 

 the outside or open outward ; never into the boxes, as the 

 door could not be opened should a horse lie against it. The 

 boxes which are intended for use in case of sickness should 

 be somewhat larger (12 x 14 or 16 feet), in order to allow 



