100 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



necessary) deep, and eight feet in width, are all 

 that is required for the horse's comfort. Double 

 doors (that is, cut in two transversely) are useful 

 in case of sickness, where there is but one ; other- 

 wise, the single door is to be preferred. These 

 should be made to take off the hinges, that an 

 open-railed one may be substituted in hot weather, 

 over which, of course on the outside, an open 

 canvas should be stretched to keep out the flies, 

 which is a wonderful comfort to the animal : the 

 canvas costs, perhaps, three shillings, and will last 

 as many years. Under no circumstances , let the 

 door be what it will, should it open, as I have 

 often seen it do, into the box ; for should a horse 

 be taken ill and lie against it, it cannot be opened ; 

 for even with hinges to lift off, in such a case they 

 would be inside : in fact, the door must be split 

 or sawed to admit any one ; and even then, till 

 the horse is got up, it cannot be opened. Yet, 

 obvious as this must be, strange to say, in a very 

 large establishment, where there were six boxes 

 in a yard appropriated to them, they one and all 

 opened inwards. The master, however, had them 

 all altered the next day, when I had represented 

 their inconvenience. 



When boxes are entered by a door on the 

 side, which is often the case, the rack and manger 

 should both be on the side of the entrance ; for 

 this reason i the horse, to feed with convenience 



