VIIl] 



STABLE CONSTRUCTION AND SANITATION 



97 



mercury (HgCl 2 ), but thorough washing out with 

 clean water afterwards is imperative, as bi- 

 chloride of mercury is poisonous. It must not be 

 allowed to come in contact with steel or plated 

 bits, harness, etc., as it will rapidly damage the 

 articles by depositing mercury. 



382. Heating. Horses keep in best health if 

 the stables are not too warm ; on the other hand, 

 the stable should not be too cold. If the stable 

 is constructed as laid down in this chapter, it 

 will, even during a Canadian winter, keep warm 

 enough for horses if they are well blanketed. 

 The heat given off from a horse's body keeps the 

 temperature of the stable from falling too low. 

 The temperature of the stable should be about 

 50 to 60 Fahrenheit. If, however, it is found 

 that in order to keep the stable properly ven- 

 tilated the temperature in very cold weather is 

 very low, which might occur when a large stable 

 is only partly filled, hot-water pipes should be 

 laid under open gratings running along under 

 the centre passage. The stables shown in P. 88 

 are heated by steam pipes, which are controlled 

 automatically, and are therefore never allowed to 

 get too warm. 



One great advantage of heating large stables 

 that have few horses in them is that the groom 

 will be less liable to close the windows and ven- 

 tilators to keep up the temperature. A careful 

 horsekeeper would, of course, keep too strict a 

 supervision over the stable economy to allow such 

 practices to exist. 



I regret that very many stables in winter in 

 Canada are kept warm, and often hot and stuffy, 

 at the expense of fresh air and consequent good 

 health of the horses. Most of this is the result 

 of faulty stables, combined with the belief that 

 horses can keep well in a foul atmosphere. 



383. Precautions against Fire. I strongly 

 advocate ferro-concrete ceilings, brick walls, 

 and hard wood partitions. If a fire starts, it will 

 not be able to spread far, and may even be con- 

 fined to one stall. The greatest precautions 

 should be taken in laying electric wires ; safety 

 fuses should be connected in every circuit. 

 These fuses should be either outside or in 

 metal-lined boxes. 



Peat moss is, of course, the safest bedding 

 from a fireproof point of view, but, as described 

 in Sec. 223, is not the best bedding. 



Smoking must never be allowed in or near 

 any stable, nor in the harness rooms, unless they 

 are detached from the stable. With concrete 

 ceilings, should a fire break out in the loft or 

 in the room above, it cannot spread to the stable 

 below. Upstair stables (so common in cities) 

 should have a sloping " chute " or gangway, 

 made of ferro-concrete, leading to each storey. 

 The gangway should be large enough to allow 

 each storey to be emptied in a few seconds in 

 case of fire. Wooden gangways are extremely 

 dangerous. Elevators are of little use in case 



N 



of fire, unless they are very large and fireproof. 

 Even then the shaft is apt to increase the fire 

 by acting as a chimney. The footing on the 

 gangway is best obtained by cross-pieces of 

 metal bolted into the flooring. 



384. Every stable should have at least one 

 fire extinguisher hung on the wall. In long 

 stables there should be one at each end. The 

 best kind of extinguisher is the large brass- 

 cylinder type, which has only to be turned 

 upside down to produce a rapid spray of liquid. 

 The spray proceeds from a nozzle attached to 

 the end of a 2-ft. rubber tube. The contents 

 consist of a strong solution of sodium carbonate 

 and a bottle of strong sulphuric acid ; upon the 

 cylinder being inverted, the acid gains access to 

 the solution, and produces carbonic acid gas. 

 This type of extinguisher must be kept from 

 freezing, and it is essential that it should be 

 tested every six months. 



385. Improvements to Old Stables. Badly 

 constructed stables can be greatly improved by 

 having proper windows made and proper ven- 

 tilators, drainage and flooring put in. Sanitary 

 mangers can be put in, and many other little 

 items can be fitted or altered to make the stable 

 more up to date without much expense. Ample 

 fresh air, good light, good drainage, and abso- 

 lute cleanliness are the essentials for keeping a 

 horse in good health. The reason that private 

 horses are so often sick, compared with other 

 horses, is because of the love the coachman has 

 for close, unhealthy stables and the want of 

 exercise. Working horses are often stabled in 

 insanitary stables, but, as they get plenty of 

 work and are out of doors during the greater 

 part of the day, their health does not suffer to 

 the same degree. 



386. Stalls and Boxes. Work-horses, as a 

 rule, are kept in stalls. Horses are generally all 

 right in stalls, provided they are 6 ft. wide and 

 that the horses get plenty of exercise, but idle 

 horses are much better in box stalls (loose 

 boxes). Sick horses should, if possible, be put 

 into a loose box. All private stables should, 

 therefore, have two or three loose boxes. These 

 are not so necessary in work-horse stables or 

 in cavalry stables, because any horse, upon 

 becoming sick, is put into an infirmary or sick 

 lines. I notice, however, that most large stables 

 in large cities have a couple of box stalls at one 

 end. 



One disadvantage of a loose box is that a 

 horse is very liable to rub its tail a not un- 

 common habit with idle horses, especially if the 

 grooming of the tail is neglected. (See Sees. 

 198-9.) A loose box should measure 11 ft. 

 square. A stall should measure at least 6 ft. 

 wide and 11 ft. in length. A ring should be 

 placed about 5 ft. from the ground, over the 

 manger, for tying up the horse when he is being 

 groomed or if required during part of the day, 



