30 THE HORSE. 



clipped must be provided with a rug. In very cold weather, 

 and if the stable is a cold one, two rugs may be necessaiy. 

 Wool-lined jute rugs are the best kind to use; they are cheap, 

 and last a long time. When two rugs are used, the under 

 rug should be an ordinary fawn woollen one. 



Hea.d-Stalls. — Strong leather head-stalls are the most 

 useful; the}' will stand wear for many years, and in the long 

 run, jjrove much more economical than hemiD or web halters. 

 The horse should be tied up with a rope, or chain running 

 through a ring, a block of wood being fastened to the end of 

 the rope or chain. 



Cleaning: the Stable—The stable must be mucked 

 out eveiy morning, all dung and wet litter being removed. 

 The dry bedding, if it consists of straw, Fholild be put in the 

 front part of the stall, so as to leave the floor in the back part 

 uncovered, thus allowing the latter to dry and air. The 

 fresh straw required each day is put down in the evenings, tlie 

 horses being '' bedded-down " last thing at nights. When peat- 

 moss-litter or sawdust is employed, t\ie droppings must bo 

 removed each morning, together with the wet patches, which 

 have soaked up the urine. A shovel is eniployed to remove 

 tlie latter, and the holes made in the l)edding must be 

 filled up with dry material. Treated in this way, a bed jnade 

 up of peat-moss or sawdust will last a month. At the end 

 of this time, the entire bedding requires to be removed, and 

 the floor must be washed dowm, and then allowed to dry and 

 air for several hours before fresh bedding is put down. 



« 



A Word about Flies. — During the summer, efforts 

 should be made to keep the stable as free from flies as pos- 

 sible. In order to keep flies away, the stable should be 

 kept darkened during the hot hours of the day, and w^ire- 

 gauze may be placed over the wdndow-openings. By creating 

 ii drauo-ht in the stable, the flies will be induced to leave it. 

 Dirt attracts flies, and scrupulous cleanliness in the stable, and 

 the removal of all droppings, largely helps to keep flies away. 



