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clieeiins influence of the sun. Stables should be well 

 ceiled, and that very closely ; when this is not the 

 case, not only is the dust from the hay-loft coming 

 down on the horse, and frequently in his eyes, but, 

 what is as bad, and much less thought of, the 

 foul air, which is always uppermost, lodges in the 

 hay, which becomes its receptacle, and the hay-loft 

 by this means proves a source of contagion. In fact, 

 no hay-loft, properly, should ever be over a stable ; 

 neither should corn be kept over it : they both im- 

 bibe salt acrid particles by this means, and this more 

 particularly if it is not ceiled. Neither is it a whole- 

 some practice for servants to sleep over a stable. As 

 little hay or corn should be kept, likewise, in the stable 

 as possible ; but as it is wanted it should be brought 

 to the horses. Narrow stalls are very prejudicial to 

 horses : strains in the back are often occasioned by 

 them ; and whenever a stall is less than six feet, the 

 groom should have peremptory orders never to turn 

 a horse in that stall. Bars or bails are also objec- 

 tionable, from the ease with which horses may play 

 with each other over them : they may like^vise kick 

 each other by this means. It is seldom that horses 

 eat alike in point of quickness: when they are sepa- 

 rated by bars only, the slowest eater gets robbed of 

 his food. 



The acclivity of the generality of stalls is also a 

 very serious objection to them, for they occasion a 

 horse to have a false bearing : the greater weight is 

 thrown on the heels, and the back sinews are put on 

 the stretch ; and there is little reason to d^ubt that 

 many of the lamenesses of horses are attributable to 



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