STABLES. 43 



to lay the foundations on slates, or on two courses of hard 

 bricks set in cement, or on asphalte, in order to ensure dryness, 

 as damp stable floors and walls are extremely injurious to 

 horses in many ways, but chiefly from generating rheumatic 

 affections of the limbs. The thickness and the nature of the 

 walls will depend upon the dimensions of the stables. In 

 some localities the walls are simply unbaked clay or mud, or 

 wattle covered with clay; these may answer very well in 

 temporary stables, and especially for those of cart horses ; in 

 other localities the walls may be of concrete, when the nature 

 of the soil is favourable for making it ; but of course the most 

 durable stables, and those which admit of the most elaborate 

 finish, are built of stone or brick. It is simply a question of 

 cost. Mud or concrete walls, with a felt or thatched roof, and 

 simple wooden internal fittings, make up the cheapest stable ; 

 corrugated iron also makes a cheap stable, but these buildings 

 are generally cold in winter, and hot in summer. 



Stables built of wood have the same disadvantage, and the 

 additional one of being very dangerous for the horses in case 

 of fire j those built of hurdles and thatch are particularly so. 



The situation of doors and windows will depend upon cir- 

 cumstances. The number of doors must also depend upon the 

 size of the stable, with regard to convenience ; there may be a 

 door at one, or at each end, or one in the middle, or at each 

 side. The advantage of having doors at each end, or on each 

 side, consists in the easier access to the stalls in the stable if it 

 be long, and also in bad weather, when those exposed can be 

 kept closed. In some large stables there are doors at the ends 

 as well as at the sides. The windows should, if possible, be 

 east and west, to ensure the stable having the morning and 

 afternoon sun. Side windows are often the only kind which 

 can be allowed in stables ; but when there is no loft or building 

 overhead, light from the roof is very advantageous, so long as 

 there is not too much glare or heat during the summer. For 



