134 STABLE ECONOMY. 



injury. It is more pernicious to the eyes and the throat, pro- 

 ducing coughs and blindness. 



Horses that do little work may have no need for day bed- 

 ding ; but there are some who will not urinate upon the bare 

 stones, and this is sometimes an evil. The water splashes 

 upon his legs and annoys him, and he retains his urine till it 

 gives him more uneasiness or annoyance than that produced 

 by wet legs. This is more particularly the case with horses 

 having greasy heels, or bare legs. If required to take the 

 road with a distended bladder, he can not work. He soon 

 becomes dull and faint, and perspires very profusely. If he 

 had been standing on straw, his bladder would never have 

 become so full. Then, there are horses that constantly paw 

 and stamp the ground ; on the bare stones, they slip about, 

 and sometimes lame themselves ; and they often break the 

 nails by which the shoes are held. Many, too, are disposed 

 to lie during the day ; without litter they can not, or ought not. 

 The more a horse lies, the better he works. Lame or tender- 

 footed horses can not lie too much ; and a great deal of stand- 

 ing ruins even the best of legs and feet. Except the cost, 

 there is no objection to day bedding. Some horses do not 

 need it ; many are the better of it ; none are the worse of it. 



Washing the Stable. — In some places the floor is washed 

 every morning, in others only once a week ; in very many it 

 is never washed. The water, with the assistance of a broom, 

 clears the grooves, and prevents the stones from becoming 

 slippery. In a causewayed stable it removes the dung and 

 urine which lodge between the stones, and contaminate the 

 air. But, while water cleans the floor, it renders the stable 

 cold and damp. On close or cold days the process should be 

 omitted. If the horses all go out in the morning, the floor 

 should be washed after they are gone ; the doors and windows 

 being set wide open till they return. After washing, the 

 floor is sometimes strewed with sand or saw-dust. This 

 absorbs the water, roughens the stones, and gives an air of 

 cleanliness and comfort to the whole stable. It is very use- 

 ful when the floor is naturally damp, or when wet operations 

 are performed in the stable. 



Besides the daily, weekly, or monthly washing, which in 

 some places is made upon the floor, the whole stable requires 

 a general purification once or twice a year. All the wood- 

 work, travises, doors, mangers, and racks should be thoroughly 

 washed every six or twelve months ; and the stall or stable 

 in which a horse having glanders has stood, should not be oc- 



