Ventilation Holes

These holes go right through the stable walls to let fresh air flow through the stable.

They are up high so that the air can flow without making a draught on the floor which would be uncomfortable for the animals.

The small birds love the holes. They use them as a shortcut to get past the stables - they fly straight through just folding up their wings for a moment and often nearly crash into us as they go by !.

Horses' Health

The Victorians were expert horsemen and knew that horses as well as people were healthier if they had fresh air to breathe - but they didn't know why. They believed that "bad air" carried diseases because they didn't know about bacteria and viruses.

Today we know that it is the humidity that is important to horses - how wet the air is. The air in a stable can be very wet and warm and that is just the kind of air that helps harmful bacteria to grow. It makes it more difficult for horses to breathe, which can lead to anxiety and colic (tummy ache), and easier for them to get chest infections such as pneumonia from the bacteria.

We are very grateful to the builders of our stables for making sure that there is always air passing through the stables so that the dampness is blown away.