56 ON THE STABLES, ETC. 



upon to sleep. His sleeping there will not disturb the 

 horse, nor will the horse disturb him ; unless the animal 

 be a very vicious one, and in that case it may be ad- 

 visable to tie him up, in the usual way, the night on 

 which he is set. 



As the horses will generally be loose in the boxes, 

 precautions should be taken by the workmen effec- 

 tually to secure the cupboards and stable doors. They 

 should be made sufficiently fast to prevent the horses 

 opening any of them ; they are to be let into the walls, 

 and not to project so as to hold out an inducement to 

 the horses to play with them, as most race-horses will 

 do with almost any thing they can get at. 



Tin sconces, on each side the door of every stable 

 and box, can be hung up for putting in lights, and I 

 think they will answer quite as well as patent lamps. 

 I remember when patent lamps, and large curtains 

 were used in some stables that I once lived in ; but I 

 see no necessity for this sort of costly splendour. I 

 think the tin sconces wall answer every purpose of the 

 former; and the window shutters, of which I have 

 made mention, will answ^er equally well that of the 

 latter. Whether the doors in the dividing walls, which 

 admit of a communication from one stable to the other, 

 be made to slide back into the wall when opened, or 

 whether they should open in the common way, is a 

 matter of little consequence. Although the former 

 mode appears most convenient, I fear they would be 

 often out of repair. The better plan is certainly that 

 which may be executed with the greatest facility, and 



