ON THE STABLES, ETC. 45 



fixed ill the left hand corner of the stall, resting on the 

 top rail of the manger ; for from the position in which 

 the horse stands in the stall, it will be more out of the 

 way here than if it were placed either in the right 

 hand corner or in the centre ; for the boy who looks 

 after a i-ace-horse, from custom and for convenience, in- 

 variably goes up to him on the near side, no matter 

 what he has to do with him ; and as invariably, when 

 leaving him, comes away on the near side also ; so that 

 the horse, although standing straight in himself from 

 habit (except now and then, when eating his corn) 

 almost at all times stands somewhat across the stall, 

 with his head towards the rack, and his quarters in- 

 clined to the off-side, more than to the centre of the 

 stall. 



The racks, as it has already been observed, are to be 

 made of well-seasoned oak, and should measure 

 eighteen inches from the bottom to the top, or at 

 farthest not exceeding twenty. The space from the 

 corner of the stall and the wall to which the rack is 

 fixed, to the front of the rack, should also measure 

 eighteen inches, the top and bottom part of the rack 

 being brought out and arched for this purpose. 



This one rack will be sufficiently large to hold the 

 quantity of hay a race-horse may require at any one 

 time during the day, or to serve him the whole of the 

 night ; for few racers, when in training, eat more than 

 six or seven pounds of hay during the twenty-four 

 hours. It may be thought by some of my readers 

 that I have placed the racks too low ; indeed I have 



