LIGHTING OF STABLES. 209 



of a single room or small house with only one door, 1,500 

 cubic feet (say 12 ft. x 12 ft. X ioj^ ft.) would be a reason- 

 able average ; although the addition of a couple of feet 

 to the height would be an improvement. I do not think 

 that 2,500 cubic feet (say 14 ft. x 15 ft. x 12 ft.) need be 

 exceeded, even for high-class racehorses. It goes almost 

 without saying, that the more confined the situation, the 

 greater should be the cubic content. 



LIGHTING OF STABLES. 



As sunlight has a good effect on horses, we should secure a 

 sunny aspect for the stable and have it well lighted by 

 windows. When the horses are at work, it is a great advan- 

 tage to be able to open out the stable, so that it may be 

 disinfected by sunlight as well as by fresh air. In our desire 

 for sunlight, we must not obtain it at the cost of raising the 

 temperature of the stable, which we would do by having the 

 roof made more or less of glass. In the case of animals 

 which, like racehorses, do their work in the morning and will 

 want a rest in the middle of the day, it is advisable to have an 

 arrangement for darkening the boxes or stalls, while shutting 

 out the fresh air as little as possible. 



I like to have the divisions of the boxes and stalls and the 

 interior of the walls of a light colour, if not actually white, so 

 that there may be but little loss of sunlight. It has been 

 stated that the effect of having a white wall constantly in 

 front of a horse while he was in a stable, would be injurious 

 to his eyes ; but I have never known or heard of a horse 

 suffering from that alleged cause. The same may be said of 

 human beings, many of whom live the most of their lives in 

 whitewashed rooms, without their sight being hurt by the 

 supposed glare, which, in almost all cases, would be that of 

 diffused, not direct sunlight. We should also bear in mind 

 that the eyes of a horse, by the possession of corpora nigra 



