196 CONFESSIONS OP A HOBSE DEALER. 



and the activity of its officers, is sufficient evidence of 

 their philanthropy; but I have never known a con- 

 viction for shutting up a horse, and half smothering 

 him in the rank, pestiferous atmosphere of a non-drained 

 or ventilated stable, and still this will be admitted by 

 all men, possessed of a shadow of common-sense, to be 

 gross cruelty. 



In every town and village in the United Kingdom 

 may be found stables without drainage, and, even during 

 hot weather, with very little, if any ventilation. 

 1 have, at various places in my travels, frequently 

 been present at the opening of these badly-ventilated 

 dwellings for horses, the first thing in the morning, as 

 I have no doubt some of my readers have also ; there- 

 fore they will agree with me in saying that the at- 

 mosphere is sufficient to stifle many a man, and quite 

 sufficient of itself to engender a variety of diseases 

 among the miserable occupants. 



There are thousands of stables in which the door is 

 the only aperture for the ingress or egress of pure air ; 

 and even this is, in most instances, closed, both when 

 the horse is at rest, as at work or exercise ; thus he has, 

 while in the stable, or, rather, horse oven, to breathe 

 the same air over and over again, inhaling the ammonia 

 which is constantly rising from the interstices of the 

 irregular pavement, or mud floor, and this is not only a 

 constant cause of misery to the horse, but by acting 

 most injuriously on his eyes, entails a serious loss to his 

 owner, by decreasing his value. 



