No. 7. 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



693 



So iiiucli and too imicli of the theoretical draft horse I What of 

 the actual Americau draft horse? 



It has come in my way to make a good many measurements of 

 draft horses, including imported draft stallions. It occurred to me 

 that a study of the conformation of draft horses, as found in actual 

 use, would be of interest and perhaps of value. I, therefore, set 

 a student at this work. 



The census of 1900 allows Columbus, Ohio, a population of 125,560, 

 and it has risen to the dignity of suburbs. It is a town large enough 

 to support important breweries and transfer companies, in which 

 the keeping of fine draft horses becomes a matter of advertising as 

 well as pride. Mr. A. H. Snyder, of the class of 1901, Ohio State 

 University, measured one hundred and one of the best and largest 

 draft horses to be found in the city. All told, nearly two thousand 

 measurements were taken. I have every reason to believe that the 

 ^^ ork was intelligently and carefully done. The one hundred and 

 one horses measured were classified by the owners or stable fore- 

 men into: Extra good heavy draft horses, 55; medium good heavy 

 draft horses, 17; extra good light draft horses, IG; medium good 

 light draft horses, 13. The following table gives a summary of some 

 of the more important measurements of the fifty-five considered extra 

 good and of the seventeen considered only of medium value for heavy 

 draft purposes, and also gives a few comparisons of average measure- 

 ments of the thirty-two standard bred American trotting horses: 



o 



si 



be 



a 



Number of horses measured, 



Weight, 



Height at withers 



Height at croup, 



From point of shoulder to point of buttock 

 From lowest point of chest to ground, . 



Circumference of body at girtli 



Circumference of front cannon at center, 



Length of head 



Length of shoulder, 



From dorsal angle of scapula to hip 



From point of hock to ground 



Width of chest 



Width of hips, . 



Length of croup, 



55 



1,613 



66 



65.6 

 67.8 

 33.5 

 90 

 9.66 

 26.66 

 27.25 

 30.4 

 25.5 

 20 

 25.2 

 22.5 



We have in this table a composite picture of the two types. Com- 

 paring these composite pictures, it is found that the extra good 

 heavy draft horse compared with his less valuable brother, is not 

 so high for his weight; is deeper in the chest; shorter from the chest 

 to the ground; larger in the chest girth but slightly smaller in bone. 

 Compared with the length of the head, the shoulder is longer, the 



38—7—1904 



