STABLEMEN 125 



he gets in the stable, all the bedding that he has depend 

 upon that one man, and it is very easy for that man 

 to neglect the horse in any one of these respects on 

 any day of the year. 



Perhaps the worst enemy of the horse is intoxicating 

 hquor. Drunkenness, or even semi-drunkenness, on 

 the part of drivers and stablemen, is probably respon- 

 sible for more, positive cruelty and for more neglect 

 than any other cause. Be sure that your stableman 

 is sober, industrious, faithful, and fond of animals, for 

 if he has not these qualities he will be worth less than 

 you pay him, no matter how small that sum may be. 

 On the other hand, good wages paid to a good man 

 will bring a better return in dollars and cents, to say 

 nothing of humanity, than any other form of expendi- 

 ture that can be imagined. It is astonishing how fool- 

 ishly men, who are shrewd in their business affairs, 

 will sometimes act when it comes to employing a care- 

 taker or a driver for a horse. That sagacious trainer 

 and driver of long experience, John Splan, who has 

 been quoted more, than once in this book, remarks: 

 *' I have often known an owner to intrust a horse worth 

 $10,000 to a man whom he would not trust with a 

 ten dollar bill." 



In a large boarding stable in New York, on every 

 floor, is posted the following notice: 



No man shall speak loud to any of the horses or in the stable 

 where they are. Horses of good blood are nervous, and loud, 

 excited talk is felt by every horse who hears it, and keeps them 

 all uneasy. No man shall use profane language in the hearing 

 of the horses. 



