162 



THE HORSE. 



adapted for a " ledge door," a frame at least two inches in thick- 

 ness being necessary to allow of the lock being let in. For loose 

 boxes a door may be made with the upper half of open iron work 

 as in the annexed engraving, but these are expensive and can only 

 be adopted when money is not considered. In a door of this con- 

 struction the hinges are so arranged that with a rounded edge to 

 the frame th.ere is no sharp projection, and even wh^n wide open 

 the hip of the horse passing through cannot possibly be injured. 

 No door should be less than three feet six inches wide and seven 

 feet high, and the outer door is better if made three feet nine or 

 even four feet in the clear. 



All stable windows should be of iron, and if they are cast 

 with iron bars six inches apart from centre to centre, no horse will 

 break the glass. Every other bar may be made to project so as to 

 form the framework for the glass, and in this way serve a double 

 purpose. In building new tables I should always prefer to place 

 the windows close to the ceiling and above the mangers, so as to 

 give the horse the fresh air where he wants it. If they are made 

 to open in a valvular form, as represented below, on the same prin- 

 ciple as has long been adopted in church windows, and as I have 

 for years recommended for lighting and ventilating kennels, there 

 is no down draught, and every advantage is obtained from the fresh 

 air without the disadvantage which ensues when it blows down 

 upon the back or loins. In the engraving (a) represents the win- 

 dow perfectly closed, in the state 

 admitting light but no air ; (b) 

 shows the same window opened 

 as far as the framework will allow, 

 intermediate degrees being regu- 

 lated by the ratched rod (c), which 

 is fixed to the upper edge of the 

 frame, and catches on the top rail 

 of the sash. Iron frames of this 

 shape may be obtained by order 

 order of any iron-founder, or they 

 may be made of wood. The glass 

 must be guarded with bars either 

 fixed to the sashes themselves or 

 to the framework. It will be seen 

 in the figure (b) that I have indi- 

 cated with an arrow the direction 

 which the air inevitably takes as 

 it enters the stable. Of course 

 these windows may be fixed in any wall other than that at the 

 head of the horse, but I prefer the latter as being the nearest to 

 the nostrils where the air is wanted for the purpose of respiration. 



u^ 



c 



VEVTII.VTINfi WINDOWS. 



