98 



MODERN HORSE MANAGEMENT 



[CHAP. 



as, for instance, when he is harnessed up, wait- 

 ing to go out. 



There should be a ring on each heel post 

 5 ft. from the ground, with chains or ropes 

 attached, with spring hooks on the free end to 

 fasten to the head, collar or bit when the horse 

 is turned with his tail towards the manger. 

 This is known as tying the horse to the pillar 

 chains. 



387. Partitions should be made of hard wood, 

 such as oak or hard maple, which are much 

 more fireproof than any kind of soft wood. 

 They should be painted with sanitary paint. 

 Partitions are made almost fireproof if they are 

 covered on both sides with sheet iron or zinc, 

 which should be painted, but the objection is 

 that the metal is liable to become warm, and 

 sharp pieces may stick up and cut the horse. 



The heel or bale posts and the top of the 

 partitions should be made of iron. The heel 

 posts should continue right up to the ceiling ; 

 then a saddle rack can be attached to them. 

 Saddlery and harness, of course, should not be 

 kept in the stable, but in the harness room. 

 Work-horse harness, which gets hard wear in 

 any case, is generally hung in the stable on the 

 racks fastened to the bale posts. 



The stall partitions are better as shown in 

 P. 86, without openings near the top. But the 

 sides of a loose box next the centre passage 

 should be closed for 4 ft. up and open for the 

 top 2 ft. This partition, if 6 ft. high, is sufficient 

 for any-sized horse, but the partitions in between 

 the stalls should be at least 7 ft. near the wall. 

 Low partitions and open-work partitions allow 

 horses to snap at one another and also con- 

 tagious diseases to spread. For this last reason, 

 partitions should extend right to the wall, and 

 even be let into the wall. Each stall should be 

 quite separated by the partitions on the ground, 

 so that a fire in the bedding will not spread to 

 the next stall. 



388. A good method for preventing horses 

 from getting loose at night, should they slip 

 their head-collars, is to have a rope stretched 

 from heel post to heel post, about 4 ft. from the 

 ground. In the stables shown in P. 88, at night 

 iron rods are drawn out from the inside of each 

 partition right across the centre passage, thus 

 converting each stall into a temporary loose box. 

 The centre passage between the heel posts should 

 be at least 10 ft. wide in double stables and 6 ft. 

 in single. 



Some stables are constructed with only loose 

 boxes, each loose box having its own door, in 

 two halves, opening directly out of doors. This 

 is the common practice for racehorse stables. 

 The only disadvantage is that a stable of this 

 construction is difficult to keep warm in the 

 winter, but from a fire and sanitary point of 

 view they are ideal. The door of an inside loose 

 box should be 4 ft. wide, and have a very secure 



form of bolt that cannot possibly be opened by 

 the horse, but which can be easily opened in 

 case of fire. The most suitable colour for the 

 partitions in a stable is a light stain colour. 



389. Mangers. The only kind of manger 

 that is really suitable for a horse is the all-iron 

 pattern, as shown in P. 86. This kind con- 

 sists of a broad iron shelf on a bracket that has 

 its outer edge bent down. On the left is an 

 opening that has the oat bowl resting in it. 

 This bowl must be movable, so that it can be 

 easily cleansed. A simple thumbscrew or other 

 arrangement can be attached beneath to keep it 

 from being knocked out by the horse. The bowl 

 should be as near the centre of the stall as 

 possible, when only bale posts are used instead 

 of partitions between the stalls, to prevent the 

 next horse from stealing the oats. The hay rack 

 must be as deep and roomy as possible. Over- 

 head hay racks are not good, as they cause hay 

 seeds to get into the eyes and mane, and often 

 cause trouble. 



Hay should never be put into the rack with a 

 fork, but with the arms, on account of the danger 

 of the horse running his head on to the fork. 

 Iron mangers should be scrubbed out once a 

 week. The oat bowl should be emptied and 

 cleaned out properly before every meal. Wooden 

 mangers are destroyed quickly by the horse 

 nibbling at the wood, and require to be con- 

 tinually replaced. They require the utmost 

 sanitary attention. (See Sec. 380.) Zinc or sheet 

 iron-lined wooden mangers, unless very care- 

 fully looked after, rapidly become jagged, and 

 are liable to tear the horse's nose, mouth, or 

 even eyes. 



Horses which are liable to rub their manes 

 by getting their heads under the manger should 

 have the manger filled in in front with a close 

 iron fencing, so that they cannot get their heads 

 underneath. This fencing should be easily mov- 

 able, to allow the space behind to be cleaned out 

 daily. The habit of rubbing the mane is gener- 

 ally a sure sjgn of neglect in grooming. The old 

 method of filling hay racks from the loft above 

 is a lazy one and a dangerous one, and should 

 not be allowed. Some stables are fitted with a 

 continual stream of water in front of each horse ; 

 this is most insanitary, as the water runs past 

 all the horses in a row, the horse nearest the tap 

 being the only one that gets fresh water. If run- 

 ning water is used, then a separate supply must 

 be laid for each horse. 



Some horses have a most objectionable habit 

 of knocking their knees against the manger in 

 front previous to being fed or while feeding. 

 They often damage their knees by this trick. A 

 wooden partition should be put up underneath 

 the manger, sloping back a little to the floor, 

 which must be covered with sacking or other 

 padding to prevent the horse from damaging his 

 legs. 



