94 TREATMENT OF HORSES 



the groom or head lad (for one or the other must 

 invariably be present during the whole of every 

 stable hour) a feed of corn for his horse : the 

 w^hole of the horses having got their corn, the 

 boys go out. The groom is nov^r to lock the 

 stable door, so that the horses may be left at this 

 stable hour to eat their first feed of corn undis- 

 turbed, during which time the boys may be 

 cleaning up the stable yard. By the time the 

 yard is done, the horses will, all of them, have 

 finished their corn ; when the groom again opens 

 the stables, and the boys as before assemble at 

 the corn-binn for a second feed of corn for the 

 horses ; which, when given, the groom and boys 

 again go out, the stables are locked up, and the 

 horses are left, as before, to eat their second feed 

 undisturbed, during which time the boys may 

 fill the water troughs and boiler. On the groom 

 again opening the stables, the boys immediately 

 betake themselves to the hay-binn, where each 

 boy carefully selects his horse's hay, which being 

 given, and the bales put up, the horses' quarters 

 are stripped ; the boys and the groom now go 

 out. The horses being done, the stables are again 

 locked up, which, in this month (October), should 

 take place at or as near to one o'clock in the 

 day as circumstances will admit. The boys now 



