STABLE MANAGEMENT. 
421 
or gratings should not be interfered with, as they sometimes are, by 
blocking them up with straw or litter. In order to ensure uniformity, all 
stables should be ventilated under the direction of a responsible officer. 
Such buildings as I have just described are, of course, much more 
difficult to ventilate on account of their defective construction, but by 
the establishment of a definite system a satisfactory result can be ob¬ 
tained with very little trouble. 
The opinions of practical horsemen as to the temperature which is 
best calculated to keep horses in health and vigour differ very con¬ 
siderably. The majority, of whom I confess myself to be one, are in 
favour of warm stables. The horse, like the human being, can better 
endure hardships and privations when in vigorous health and hard 
condition ; and to perfect this he requires to be housed in a moderately 
warm, dry, and well-ventilated stable, free from draughts. The idea 
that by exposing horses to a cold temperature in stables they are better 
able to endure hardships is unreasonable, and is not borne out by facts. 
I have, however, heard this theory advanced by some very practical 
horsemen, and have also seen it in actual practice. When I was in 
Aldershot some six or seven years ago, I remember one instance in 
particular in which the doors and windows of the stables occupied by 
a cavalry regiment quartered in the South Cavalry Barracks were kept 
open day and night throughout a severe winter. I inspected this 
regiment frequently, because I was anxious to see the result, and there¬ 
fore I did not in any way interfere with the arrangement of the 
ventilation. To my surprise, during the whole of this period the regi¬ 
ment had fewer horses on the sick list than any other in Aldershot; 
in fact there was no sickness whatever which could be traced to exposure, 
and, with the exception of the horses being somewhat rough in their 
coats, they were healthy and in good hard-workiug condition. I merely 
mention this as a fact, and by no means in support of the theory, as I 
have very frequently seen much harm result to horses from exposure 
under similar conditions. On the other hand, hunters, chargers, and 
harness horses are generally housed in warm and comfortable stables, 
and, as a rule, are clipped in the winter. These animals are frequently 
exposed to very inclement weather without suffering to any appreciable 
extent. These remarks appear to be somewhat contradictory, but I 
think they tend to prove that the question is merely one of habit and 
custom. I must say that I prefer a warm stable, provided that it is 
perfectly fresh and well ventilated. It must be understood that in 
advocating warm stables I do not imply that they should be unduly 
hot. The effects of a hot stable upon the horse are said by the advo¬ 
cates of a high temperature to be the production of a glossy coat, and 
a disposition to accumulate flesh; but to this we may also add an 
extreme susceptibility to the influence of cold. Moreover, a hot stable, 
unless it is artificially heated, generally means a foul one, and the 
temperature is maintained at the expense of fresh air. This state of 
things is highly prejudicial to health, and certainly is conducive to the 
reception of disease. With good stable management, ventilation, and 
cleanliness I think a temperature of 55 degrees is sufficient to meet all 
requirements. 
56 
