12 THE HORSE 



concrete. All wooden stables, no matter how soundly 

 constructed, are cold in the winter ; and so are corru- 

 gated iron ones, with the additional disadvantage of 

 being too hot in summer. For temporary stables both 

 these materials may suffice. The roof, if a concrete 

 stable, should either be slated or tiled, preferably the 

 former. The best material for the floor is concrete, or 

 else vitrified stable paving. The latter, or something of 

 a similar nature, is used in all the best stables. A floor 

 set with this kind of paving is almost indestructible and 

 certainly the cleanest. Ordinary bricks, * asphalt, and 

 wood are not suitable for stable floors or, at any rate, 

 should never form permanent stable flooring. In laying 

 the floor, the drainage should be on the surface and slope 

 towards a surface drain at the foot of the stall, which 

 conveys the liquid into a well-trapped drain outside the 

 stable. The drain inside the building may either be open 

 or closed, with a surface grating, for preference the latter. 

 A great deal of care should be bestowed upon the con- 

 struction of the floor, otherwise it will never be satis- 

 factory. For instance, if there is too much of a gradient in 

 the stalls, fluid excreta runs away too quickly and leaves 

 particles of solid matter behind. If, on the other hand, 

 the fall is insufficient, the drainage becomes inefficient. 

 The author hkes to see good roomy stalls in a stable, and 

 not only roomy, but lengthy, say eight feet from the head 

 to the foot of the stall. Half the stalls one sees in stables 

 are much too short and too narrow, and quite incapable 

 of accommodating a heavy draught horse. The width of 

 each stall should be not less than six feet six inches. 

 Given these dimensions, a horse can he down comfortably 

 and rise properly, whereas in a narrow stall it will some- 

 times be cast and unable to rise. The space available will, 

 of course, have all the bearing upon the size and arrange- 

 ment of stalls, loose boxes, etc. Neither the harness room 

 nor the coach house should communicate directly with 

 the stable, as the vapour from the latter is detrimental to 



