The exigencies of hard work and the demands of fashion require the coat to be kept clean and short (by grooming and clipping); and the extra work which civilised conditions entail, makes the covering afforded by the skin and hair, lighter than it would be, if the animal was at liberty in the open. Hence, working horses have to be stabled, because the necessary protection by clothing and the requirements of cleanliness would be unattainable if the animals were allowed to lie out. From the remarks previously made on the ability of horses to bear cold, it is evident that we should regard a stable in this country as a useful, but by no means an indispensable means of protection, which should interfere as little as possible with the natural conditions that are conducive to the health and comfort of horses.

When a horse is taken into a stable from grass, he is to a great extent deprived, while in the building, of the means of keeping himself warm by moving about; and by grooming and clipping he loses a large amount of the protection afforded by his coat and by the dandruff in it. To compensate him for these losses, he is better sheltered from inclement weather and from changes of temperature; he has, as a rule, a more comfortable bed; is usually provided with clothing according to the season; and is generally better fed. Even with the best directed attempts at obtaining perfection in drainage and ventilation, it is practically impossible to have the air in the stable as pure as that outside. To counterbalance this disadvantage, we can usually keep the box or stall drier than the surface of a field or paddock.