II 6 ABOUT STABLES. 



difficulty with driving horses. The sun is a direct aid to 

 digestion. Bad digestion means weak nerves, a bad coat 

 and a stamina generally impaired. 



The stable should be a solid superstructure upon an honest 

 foundation. Crevices in the covering, floors and foundation 

 may be the cause of colds, catarrhs and stiffness, besides 

 making an easy harboring place for rats. 



Make the ceiling of the first floor not less than eight feet 

 high. Any horse will then be safe in throwing up his head. 



The doors which the horse uses should be wide and high, 

 and divided in the middle, so the upper part may be left open 

 if desired. They should be at least four feet wide and seven 

 feet high, so that he may go in and out with ease, and run no 

 chance of knocking himself. Sometimes a horse will hesi- 

 tate when entering a doorway, and then suddenly rush in, 

 showing plainly that he is afraid to go through, having hurt 

 himself while once doing so. Have plenty of windows and 

 at the back or side of the horse rather than directly in front. 

 They should be capable of being ogened. 



Opinions vary as to the width of the stalls, some say four 

 feet, some six feet, but five feet will be found to be a good 

 width. If not boarded up all the way to the ceiling they 

 should be high enough so the horse cannot see over nor 

 quarrel with a mate. Four feet high at the back and seven 

 feet high at the end towards the manger will be about right. 

 They should be at least nine feet long for the average-sized 

 horse. Make the divisions of two thicknesses of two-inch 

 plank, breaking joints. Loose box-stalls should be not less 

 than ten feet square. 



No stable should be fitted with stalls so close to the siding 

 that it is troublesome to back out horses. Such close quar- 

 ters are hard to clean properly and are always unpleasant for 

 handling horses, while the room saved is trifling. Fourteen 



