STABLES 249 



almost smother him in some stables. Planks or panels shouhl 

 be horizontal, not upright, in order not to be split or shattered if 

 kicked. This aiTangement brings the imiire.ssi(.)n of the shoe 

 across the grain of the wood. Floors can be kept drier and be 

 more thoroughly cleaned if the partition does not come quite to 

 the floor (Fig. 130). 



Bales. — One of our most experienced American authori- 

 ties * is an ardent ad\'ocate of the bale in place of the fixed par- 

 tition to Be])aratc horses, claiming for it ecnnouiy of space and 

 more latitude and comfort for the horses, with equal safety. The 

 bale consists of two planks or boards, ironed together, to make 

 a ^vidth of three feet, suspended IS inches from the floor by a 

 hook and ring in the wall at the head of the stall and by a rope 

 or chain at the rear. Four feet is a siTflicient allowance for an 

 ordinary sized horse bet\vecn bales, and thty will do well in even 

 less. 



Stall Floors. — Stall floors may be of clay, plank, or pave- 

 ment. In the selectitm of flooring material there are many ends 

 to l)c considereil. Well tamped clay is noiseless, aft'ords a firm 

 footing unless wet, and without question places the horse on the 

 most natural tread. It docs very well in country stables where 

 the clay is available, straw is cheap, and manure is of \'alue, -Hath 

 the horse oiit of the stable much of the time. It is especially well 

 adapted for use in box stalls. However, it is not easily cleaned 

 and requires frequent repairing to keep the surface even and 

 free from holes and dejDressions. Plank floors do not tire a 

 standing horse, are warm to lie upon, and are not slippery, but 

 they are neither durable nor sanitary, being more or less peiwious 

 and absorbent. Paved floors have the advantage of dural>ility 

 and are most sanitary, being impei-vious and easily drained, but 

 they are hard to stand upon, slippery, noisy, cold to lie upon, and 

 generally undesirable from the bourse's point' of view. IsTotwith- 

 standing, they are well-nigh indispensable in large city stables, 

 and a satisfactory compromise, in consideration of the horse's 

 personal preference in the matter, is made by supplying a well- 

 fitted rack. This is made of slats running lengthwise of the 



* Ware, " First Hand Bits of Stable Lore." 



