SEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK-PART III. 87 



mean. A horse that is flat limbed and also clean in limb is much more 

 durable in those parts than one that is round, coarse and "gummy." 

 When we refer to a horse being flat-limbed or flat-boned we do net mean 

 that the bone is flat from a side view, but we do mean that the tendon 

 stands back so far from the bone as to make it in the region cf the 

 cannon appear flat. The chief advantage of having this conformation is 

 due to the better attachment it gives to the tendons and also to the 

 freer play which they have as a result of this conformation. 



Cleanness of bone is desirable largley because it indicates a dense, 

 strong texture of bone, with joints that are free from puffiness and not 

 subject to coarseness. 



The slope of the different parts is another important point to be ob- 

 served. For instance, in the case of the fore limb, the shoulders should 

 have a strong slope and the slope of the pastern should be correspond- 

 ingly as great. Some good authorities claim that the slope of the pastern 

 should' be at least 45 degrees. A proper slope of shoulder gives a horse 

 freer limb movement. It also shortens his back above, giving him 

 greater strength in that part, and also increases the length of the 

 underline, thus giving him mere room for action. Slope of shoulder, 

 when associated with slope of pastern, and the two always go hand in 

 hand, does awaj'' with severe concussion, a most vital point. An exami- 

 nation of the skeleton of a horse reveals the fact that in the con- 

 struction of the fore limb there are a series of bones which act more or 

 less directly upon each other. The presence of the great number of small 

 bones below the pastern and their relation to each other in slope would 

 indicate that ihis part below the pastern would be subject to considerable 

 concussion, and en that account it would be necessary to arrange the 

 slopes and the position of the bones so as to eliminate or distribute this 

 concussion so far as possible. It is not difficult to understand that if 

 the shoulder blade is straight and the pastern straight this series of 

 bones comprising the fore limb will hit each other in a very severe man- 

 ner and will eventually produce a great number of bone diseases which 

 these parts are subject to, such as side bones, ring bones, and other 

 troubles. 



The set of the limbs is another very important point. Viewed from 

 in front the legs should te well placed under the quarters. If they are 

 set too far apart the horse will have a rolling motion when in action. 

 The feet should be in a straight line, neither turned in nor out, as both 

 conformations interfere with the action. Viewed from the side the legs 

 should be straight, neither bulging forward, called knee sprung, nor 

 backward, called calf-kneed. The proportion of the bones to one another 

 in this region is in a large measure responsible for these defects. When 

 the leg formation is exceptionally long from where it joins the body 

 to the knee it is likely to throw too much weight on the knee and pro- 

 duce what we call calf-knees. If, on the other hand, the length of the 

 cannon, that portion between the pastern joint and the knee is unduly 

 long, it is likely to cause the horse to be over on his knees. Too much 

 attention cannot be given to the importance of the slope of the pastern 

 because it has so much to do with the protection of the feet. Extreme 



