254 



ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



Width. 



Height. 



Stalls on 

 exposed 

 decks. 



and does so by inclining his body to and fro as the ship rolls, or, should 

 the roll prove unexpectedly heavy, by taking a step to front or rear and 

 thereby increasing his security. A long stall permits this without 

 hindrance, but in a short one he is unable to do it, or, if he attempts 

 to, is bumped by breast piece and haunch rail alternately, thrown ofif his 

 balance and perhaps severely bruised. Eight feet in the clear may be 

 taken as the correct length of stall for a horse. At present the Admiralty 

 regulations stipulate for a 6 feet stall and a passage of 2 feet between the 

 haunch rail and the side of the ship ; the removal of the haunch rail and 

 the lengthening of the platform on which the animal stands are the 

 only changes necessary to obtain the desired measurement. 



Width. — The stall should be narrow. As previously explained, the 

 animal cannot balance himself sideways so well as from front to rear, and 

 a narrow athwart ship stall which prevents any attempt to turn round 

 keeps him facing the roll, /.<?., the direction of greatest movement, which is 

 the best for his security ; 2 feet 4 inches in the clear is a suitable width 

 for a full-sized horse. 



Height. — The height of a stall should, if possible, be 8 feet over 

 the horse's head and 7 feet behind, but such heights cannot as a rule 

 be obtained except in upper-deck stalls. In between decks the Admiralty 

 stipulate for a minimum of 7 feet from the surface of the deck planking to 

 the underside of the beams above, and this should be the limit for all 

 animals, as apart from the danger of striking their heads, the amount of 

 space lost in low-pitched decks adds appreciably to the difficulties of 

 ventilation. 



Summary of stall measurements for a good stall : — 



The height of breast, haunch and side rails will, of course, be \aried to 

 suit the height of the animals carried. 



Stalls on exposed decks require roofing and protection at the back and 

 ends. Where hot weather is to be encountered, a canvas screen for the 

 sides is preferable to complete boarding in, and the continuation forward 

 of the roof to form a verandah is desirable if it can be done. 



