78 ON VENTILATION. 



the bottom of the stable-door, and to have every aper- 

 ture in the stable closed ; this, together with the heat 

 from the breath of the horses, and the fumes arising 

 from the wet dung under them, made the stables, what 

 was called by the groom, " comfortably warm ;" for in 

 those days it was the custom (to use the language of 

 the stable,) " to muck out only twice a week." This 

 temperature, I should say, if allowed to speak from my 

 own sensations, fai* exceeded, in all probability, that 

 of a hot-house, to say nothing of the impurity of such 

 air. Indeed, at the time I am now alluding to, I could 

 mention many proofs, in a variety of instances, of the 

 inconsistency of a number of grooms in the manage- 

 ment of horses ; but I have great satisfaction in stating 

 that the generality of these men now understand the 

 thing much better than they formerly did. I may 

 therefore be spared the unpleasant task of finding fault 

 with such of them as were pursuing a wrong course, 

 more particularly as they conscientiously considered 

 that they were acting on principles which they thought 

 strictly correct. 



It is now pretty clearly understood, and indeed 

 almost universally admitted by them, that a constant 

 supply of fresh, pure air, is not only beneficial, but ab- 

 solutely necessary for the preservation of the health of 

 all horses taken from a state of nature, and placed in 

 an artificial atmosphere; and this necessity becomes 

 more absolute with regard to race-horses. 



A race-horse must perform his own engagements ; if 

 he falls amiss, his work must be stopped, and his en- 



