THE STABLE 31 



the time when the first edition of Fitz-Wygram's 

 ' Horses and Stables ' was published, and so was 

 early imbued with the absolute necessity of plenty 

 of fresh air. I had at that time great difficulty in 

 getting the civilian groom of the period to con- 

 form to my views. Directly my back was turned 

 his one idea was to stuff up every hole and chink 

 through which the pure air could enter, so as to 

 get a ' nice warm stable.' A cold stable will be bad 

 for horses' coats, and they may want more corn ; 

 but I am quite certain horses will be healthier in 

 it than in a warm one, unless the latter is artificially 

 heated and perfectly ventilated. As a rule, a hot 

 stable is a badly ventilated one, the heat coming 

 from foul air. In a cold stable, as long as there 

 are no draughts, and it is free from damp, you can 

 keep the horse comfortable enough by extra 

 clothing and bandaging. Draughts, of course, are 

 to be avoided, and any sudden changes of tempera- 

 ture. 



The ventilation in my own stable, which I 



think is always quite sweet, is of a very simple 



nature, and could be readily put into any 



Ventilation ^ ^ -^ 



boxes at a small cost. About one foot 

 above the ground, behind each horse, is a ventilator, 

 9 inches by 3 inches. Over this is a wooden screen 

 covered wdth zinc, standing two inches from the 

 wall, and running up to a height of three feet from 



