THE CART HORSE OR SHIRE HORSE. 19 



hind quarters very powerful, long, and level, the 

 feet wide and prominent at the heels, with bold 

 free action, and with clean, heavy, flat bone, and 

 soft silky hair. The long hair on the legs above 

 the heels is called the feathers. These feathers 

 ought to be silky. If a horse is coarse feathered, 

 it is said to be a sign of coarse, soft bone. 



chills, and this is very important when you con- 

 sider the time he has to stand about in wet mud 

 and slush. None of us come to much harm if 

 our feet and legs are warm ; it is when these are 

 cold and damp that we feel miserable and catch 

 cold. 



How to Stable a Horse. 



The stable should be airy, ventilated from the 

 top, well lighted, and free from offensive smells. 

 The drains should drain outside the stable into 

 what is termed a covered trap. Above every- 

 thing, there should be no draughts in a stable, 

 as there is nothing so likely to give a horse a 

 bad cold as a draught. In fact a draught is bad 

 for everything that grows and lives, man, 

 animals, and plants. 



It is well known that a horse seldom or never 

 catches cold in the open fields, even if he is kept 

 out through the severest winter, provided of 

 course he can get sufficient heat-giving food. If 

 a horse's coat stands up, and his ears feel cold 



