A Stable Interior, 1747 by James Seymour

A stable interior, 1747 by James Seymour, (1702-1752) all finely bred horses would have been stabled and rugged. These may well be racehorses. Stalls were common and loose boxes only reserved for foaling mares and stallions.

The rugs show a curious wrapping of the belly probably learned from the Central Asian grooms who would have come over with their horses. This is done to reduce discomfort from the flies. The straw would have been hand cut and stooked. This quality of straw let the urine flow through down into the central gutter, similar to a thatch roof would protect against rain. Carriage horses and racehorses would have spent less time in their stables than today’s horses.