SOCIAL HABITS. 101 



this reason : the horse, to feed with convenience 

 to himself, and to get in front of his food, will 

 always be found to stand nearly corner-ways in 

 his box ; so, if the food is on the side of the door, 

 his heels will be away from the person entering ; 

 if the reverse, they will be towards hira, which, 

 with some horses, would not only make some dif- 

 ference, but all the difference to the safety of the 

 intruder. 



Many persons have quite a box monomania 

 about them, and fancy one to be all but indis- 

 pensable to the well-doing of a horse. I am quite 

 of a different opinion, though I do not affirm that 

 my own is the correct one ; but keeping a horse 

 constantly in a box I consider a mild degree of 

 solitary confinement. I think I may say all 

 quadrupeds that are not fercB naturcR are gre- 

 garious, and horses are naturally so, and confine- 

 ment in a solitary box deprives him of enjoying 

 one of the first impulses of his nature. Turn him 

 into a pasture, be the food ever so tempting, he 

 will leave it, and clear the largest fence to join 

 any horses he may see or hear near him. I am 

 quite sure that horses are happier, and, conse- 

 quently, do better in stables than in boxes, unless 

 they are made with open work at a height that they 

 can both hear and see their companions. Entire 

 horses, that is, those that are highly bred, must 

 be kept by themselves. They are so accustomed 



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