THE STABLE ii 



being reasonably cheap. The slabs are generally 

 grooved to prevent slipping, and they are as 

 clean but they are scarcely so " smart " as the- 

 bricks. When bricks are used the passage behind 

 the stalls may be paved with them, but with the 

 whinstone paving sets or cement concrete flag- 

 stones are better. The passage should be fully 

 6 ft. from the heel posts to the wall and will be 

 better if a little wider. It is a false economy to 

 be grudging of a little space behind the horses. 

 It should be borne in mind, especially in these 

 days of tall horses, that a confined space fre- 

 quently leads to an accident. It is essential 

 that all the joints of all stable flooring should be 

 grouted with cement. It is unfortunately neces- 

 sary for the purpose of surface drainage that the 

 stall should slope a little. But it is only necessary 

 for the slope to be very slight. It should indeed 

 be so gradual as to be imperceptible when the 

 horse is standing in the stall. A fall of one in 

 sixty is quite sufficient, and indeed it should never 

 be more. There should be, and there wall be, no 

 difficulty in getting the urine away with a fall 

 like that, if the stable is kept properly clean. 



When speaking of drainage it should be said 

 that a wide channel going the length of a big 

 stable and emptying itself into a receptacle in 

 the stable or partly in the stable is very un- 

 healthy, and should be avoided at the cost of 

 even considerable trouble. One outlet for the 

 surface drainage may suflice for a stable with 

 four or six horses and then the outlet should be 



