Of all animals destined for the use of man the horse is the most useful and profitable, as he is the most noble, generous, and patient, conducing most to our profit, pleasure, and sport, notwithstanding the abuse, ill-treatment, and overwork to which he is subjected by the thoughtless, the ignorant, and cruel. Thanks to the Society for the Prevention.of Cruelty to Animals, and the highly advanced state of civilization in this country, much is daily being done to better and improve the condition of the horse and of all other animals; still very much remains to be done. It is therefore both the duty and interest of every man possessing a horse to see that he is properly stabled, carefully groomed, fed, and shod, and that he purchases one suitable and fitted for the work required of him.

Stable

Every one will prefer to have the stables near his house, if not on his own premises; in either case, if they are already built, he must do the best he can with them. Old buildings are for the most part very defective, badly drained, and badly ventilated. This must at once be remedied, and may generally be done at a moderate expense, which will be amply repaid by the improved health and comfort of the horses. New stables are better, but they also frequently require alteration.

Ground Plan of a Stable. A. Drains.

Ground Plan of a Stable. A. Drains.

For the guidance and assistance of those proposing to build their own stables, subjoined are some plain, useful remarks on the building, draining, and ventilating, and also some plans for the arrangement of the stalls and boxes, and designs for stable fittings, selected from the catalogue of the St. Pancras Iron Works Company, where fittings and articles of stable furniture will be found, both for quality and moderate charges, equal to any in London. These plans can be varied and enlarged according to circumstances.

Aspect

When about to build a stable, the first consideration will naturally be the selection of a site. We need not insist on the advantages of a southerly aspect, they are almost self-evident. The stables will be much more cheerful, and much warmer, and enable the groom to avail himself of every gleam of sunshine to open the windows and thoroughly ventilate the interior.

Unfortunately it is not always possible, from the disposition of the ground and premises, to manage this. However, let it be borne in mind that such is the best, the west the next best, and the north-east the very worst.

It should not be forgotten, also, that a thorough drainage is one of the most important points, and every natural slope of the land should be taken advantage of in this respect.

Drainage

Having settled the site and the plans of the stables, to which we will refer further on, the first works to be provided for will be the drainage, for these will have to be carried out simultaneously with the foundations. The drains will be of two sorts, which should be kept as far away from one another as it is possible to manage, - first, those connected with the drainage of the interior of the stables; second, those intended to carry away the surface water and collect the rain-water from the roofs, etc.