140 THE FAMILY HORSE. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

 VIEWS OF A VETERAN. 



BY A. B. ALLEN. 

 THE STABLE. 



The best material for building a stable for the horse is brick, 

 laid up with hollow walls ; the inside one then prevents injurious 

 dampness, and renders the atmosphere cooler in summer and 

 warmer in winter. The next best walls are matched boards fast- 

 ened on outside of the studs, then covered with strong thick paper 

 made expressly for this purpose, and a second covering over it 

 of matched boards, shingles, sidmg, or clapboards, as preferred. 

 Stone walls are the coolest, and perhaps the most comfortable in 

 summer, but the objection to them is, that they retain so much cold 

 and dampness in winter as to chill the atmosphere, and render the 

 horse liable to stiffness of limbs or rheumatism, although it may be 

 warmly blanketed over its whole body. Slate is an excellent mate- 

 rial for covering walls, and is growing in use, possessing nearly the 

 same merits as brick. It is much better for roofing than shingles, 

 being fireproof, lasts indefinitely, and costs but little more in many 

 places. It is quite superior to tin or zinc. A roomy box stall is far 

 preferable to the narrow kind, as it allows the horse to turn round 

 and exercise at pleasure, which is quite important when not taken 

 out for use during the day, and especially for several days in suc- 

 cession. This should be made of plank— oak is the best— at least an 

 inch and a half thick, nailed to the inside of strong studs ; then the 

 lower plank cannot be pressed off by the horse placing his feet 

 against it when getting up from lying down, nor the upper ones by 

 the heavy leaning of his body. The plank should be perfectly 

 sound, free from knots and cracks, and planed smooth, then if the 

 horse rubs his tail or mane here it will not wear off the hair. The 

 stall is best to extend north and south as near as possible, and 

 the lower end open to the south side of the stable wall, in which 

 set a large window to admit light behind the horse, instead of in 

 front, to the probable injury of his sight. In addition to this, great 

 benefit will be derived from the window in cold weather by letting 

 in the sun to warm and dry the stable. In summer, shade it with a 

 Venetian blind, which, by darkening the stable, also assists in keep- 

 ing out flies. Fix the wmdow to slide along the side of the stable^ 



