TEMPERATURE OF STABLES. 197 



can do so only to a small extent. When the ground upon 

 which a horse stands, rises towards the front, the proportion of 

 weight placed on the hind feet will be greater than if the 

 ground was level ; because, in the former case, a perpendicular 

 drawn through the centre of gravity of the animal will be 

 nearer the point of contact of the hind feet with the ground, 

 than in the latter. Supposing in order to further demonstrate 

 this fact that the upward slope was so great that this perpen- 

 dicular passed through the said point of contact ; the whole of 

 the weight would be borne by the hind legs, and none by the 

 fore ones. Some erroneously think that when a horse stands 

 on ground which rises to the front, more strain is put on the 

 flexor tendons (back sinews) of the fore legs, than when the 

 horse stands level ; because, in the former case, the toes of 

 the fore feet are higher than in the latter. Such persons, 

 however, ignore the fact that the weight borne by the fore 

 feet, and consequently, the strain on the flexor tendons of the 

 fore legs, varies in inverse proportion to the upward inclination 

 of the ground. These conditions are of course reversed when 

 the ground slopes downwards to the front. 



Mayhew (Illustrated Horse Management) advocates the 

 use, in stalls, of floors which slope downwards to the front ; 

 because, so he says, horses stand with more ease to themselves 

 on ground which slopes in that direction, than on level ground 

 or on ground which slopes to the rear. I have not been able 

 to verify this statement. 



TEMPERATURE OF STABLES. 



Experience proves that the health of stabled horses, other 

 conditions being equal, varies according to the purity of the 

 air in the building, which, under ordinary circumstances in 

 cold and moderate climates, varies inversely as the difference 

 between the temperature of the air of the stable and that of 

 the air outside ; for this difference will be chiefly due to the 



