66 THE FAMILY HORSE. 



A horse cover of light rubber cloth, like that shown m figure 46, is 

 very useful when it is necessary to drive in stormy weather. Put 

 on over the harness, it does not heat and sweat a horse like a woolen 

 blanket, but affords greatly needed protection against the pitiless 

 pelting of rail or snow. 



STALLS AND LOOSE BOXES. 



In every instance, where it is possible to provide a box stall, it 

 should be done. In some of the breeding and racing stables each 

 horse has a loose box not less than twenty feet square. But a box 

 stall nine by twelve feet is a palatial hall in comparison with a 

 single stall, in which it is compelled to stand tied hour after hour. 

 The monotony of the stall is wearisome to an animal of such quick 

 intelligence as the horse. An ox or cow, after it has eaten its food, 

 will stand and chew its cud for hours, the picture of content ; but a 

 horse is not a ruminant, and for want of other employment will 

 find some way of passing the dull hours in its stall which is quite 

 likely to end in a permanent bad habit. A great part of tliis is 

 obviated if the horse is allowed to stand loose in a box stall, where 

 it can turn around freely, roll over and lie down at its ease. 



Where a box stall is not to be had, great care must be exercised 

 in tying the horse in a single stall. The halter-strap or rope must 

 be left just long enough to permit the horse to lie down, and no 

 more. If too long, there is great danger that the horse may get one 

 foot over it and thus become cast in the stall. The English method, 

 which is also adopted to some extent in this country, is to let the 

 tie-rein or " collar-rope," as they call it, run loosely through a bolt- 

 ring in the edge of the manger. At the other end of the rope is a 

 weight or sinker of wood loaded with lead, heavy enough to take up 

 all the slack in the tie-rope as the horse moves its head to or from 

 the ring. The rope is long enough to aUow the weight to rest upon 

 the floor when the horse's head is close to the manger. The objec- 

 tion to this arrangement is that it maintains a constant and tire- 

 some, even if slight, strain upon the muscles of the head and neck. 

 A good American halter, made adjustable and well-fitted to the 

 head, is more used than the Enghsh neck-strap for restraining a 

 horse in its stall. If there is any disposition manifested to pull on 

 the halter, a rope is better and more secure than a strap. No horse 

 will break a sound three-quarter inch rope, though some learn to 

 gnaw it off, and in such cases a light cham is the alternative. For 

 a horse of average size a single stall five to five and a half feet in 

 width is wide enough, It should be sufficient to permit the horse 



