Almost all DC stables, have small windows on the side, constructed precisely at the level of a horse’s head and referred to as either “horse head height” windows or “stall” windows. However, as the HPO alley survey points out, some stables did not have any windows at all. Why are these windows significant? They helped keep horses healthy so that they lived (and worked) longer.
“Stall windows are most often located along the side wall of
the stable, but can also be found on the front or rear, or not at all. Although
stall windows were generally recommended in historic treatises on stable
construction for the health of the horses, not all of the city’s surveyed
stables featured stall windows.” (https://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/publication/attachments/Alley%20Survey%20FINAL.pdf)
“a horse’s mind is kept keener when he is thus allowed to see passing
objects than when tied against a blank wall; and his eyesight is certainly not
strained as is that of a horse which is taken from a dark stall into the bright
daylight.”
Jorrocks,
The Private Stable: Its Establishment, Management, and Appointments. Boston:
Little Brown & Company, 1899, p. 54.
Many early stables did not have windows because the relation between ventilation and horse health had not yet been recognized.
These 1319 Naylor Court stable stall windows are revealed having been hidden for over half a century. This stable was built in 1885 as a private stable (26' x 52'). The wall has been protected and preserved by the much younger adjacent building.
The stable has been appropriately underpinned
to protect the stable wall from damage due to the powerful vibrations of adjacent construction. The original foundation was brick on soil without a concrete pad. To not underpin historic structures like this places them at risk of significant (preventable) damage.
The infill
bricks seen in the photograph were very loosely associated when first constructed and now show severely deteriorated and missing mortar, poor quality
brick, and gaps. These bricks were inserted 100 years ago to simply form a thin face of a
new structure on the opposite side of the wall. They are nonstructural in that
they were never designed to bear weight and do not meet today’s firewall codes.
They were essentially cosmetic and simply served to seal the opening. These bricks were inserted in the window space of the 1899 building wall in about 1919.
(1) "The most of (sic) the diseases that horses
have, it becomes plainer with every advancement made
in the science of taking proper care of them, are bred rather by their surroundings than, as the
old theories declare, by what they eat. The diary of every day in a healthful horse's life
ought to begin with the statement that his bed was turned up in the morning, and new straw
put in place of the foul. An unclean animal cannot be comfortable. Drainage, of course, is
the first subject to consider, for a stable where the smallest quantity of foul water stands, to
say nothing of pools of it, is offensive to a horse as well as to a man. A hostler who does not
have his stables well drained has no right to complain if his horses grow old early, become
vicious, or get sick. And ventilation is quite as important as drainage. An experienced stable-
man has ventured the opinion that fewer horses are foundered by what they eat or drink than by
exposure to draughts while they rest. His stables are so ventilated that the currents of air never
touch the horses. The stalls are not ventilated from below, but above the horses' heads."
in the science of taking proper care of them, are bred rather by their surroundings than, as the
old theories declare, by what they eat. The diary of every day in a healthful horse's life
ought to begin with the statement that his bed was turned up in the morning, and new straw
put in place of the foul. An unclean animal cannot be comfortable. Drainage, of course, is
the first subject to consider, for a stable where the smallest quantity of foul water stands, to
say nothing of pools of it, is offensive to a horse as well as to a man. A hostler who does not
have his stables well drained has no right to complain if his horses grow old early, become
vicious, or get sick. And ventilation is quite as important as drainage. An experienced stable-
man has ventured the opinion that fewer horses are foundered by what they eat or drink than by
exposure to draughts while they rest. His stables are so ventilated that the currents of air never
touch the horses. The stalls are not ventilated from below, but above the horses' heads."
[The Care of the Horse 1887, 1/8]
(2) "Poorly ventilated horse barns are
perhaps the leading cause of illness in horses. Insufficient barn
ventilation can lead to respiratory disorders and affect the overall
performance of your horse. This is especially a concern in the winter
months. This article explains how ammonia and dust build up affect your
horse causing coughing, sneezing, mucus discharge and what you can do to
stop this serious issue."
https://www.equisearch.com/articles/barn-ventilation-affects-horse-health
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