SIXTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VII. 531 



comfortable riding and in the high stepper to make "trappy" knee action 

 possible. Upright shoulders and pasterns of similar shape cause stilty, 

 stumbling, stubby action and are even more objectionable in light than in 

 draft horses. Together with proper conformation in the respects noted 

 the muscular development of the shoulder should be as perfect as pos- 

 sible. 



Bones, Joints and Feet. — Both in front and behind the light horse 

 should have leg bones of the finest quality — flat, cordy, like a razor blade 

 with the wide part forward and the thin edge behind and from it protrud- 

 ing, boldly and prominently great, dense, clean straight tendons. Such 

 legs last, stand wear and tear, are formed of dense, ivory-like bone and 

 are free from meatiness. All of the joints should be large, clean, set 

 at correct angles, free from puffs, bony growths and other forms of un- 

 soundness and should be perfectly flexed when walking or trotting. Long 

 forearms and gaskins with short, strong cannoos, long, sloping, well 

 supported and perfectly clean pasterns, springing from open, large coro- 

 nets and auove sound, dense, waxy, smooth sound hoofs that are not too 

 low or too high at the heels give the muscular, well-bred light horse 

 ability to go fast, endure work, withstand concussion and beget the right 

 starbp of underpinning if he is used for breeding purposes. Depart- 

 ures from correct conformation, in any one of the points mentioned, 

 will be more apt to injure the action of a light than a draft horse. Ablso- 

 lute soundness and perfect quality of material are necossary in the 

 legs of a horse that has to be campaigned and any weakness will soon 

 aggravate into an unsoundness or cause of lameness under the stress 

 of fast work. 



Body. — Great depth of body is desirable at the heart girth and here 

 the elbows should not cling too close to the sides or they will impede 

 motion. Similar depth of barrel, viewing the horse from the side, is 

 often due to lack of spring of rib and this is undesirable. Well sprung 

 ribs are desirable in all horses although they may give an appearance of 

 legginess which is not actually present A round barrel, with low flank, 

 means good keeping qualities and, even in the fast horse, this shane 

 is to be desired although training will reduce the size of the abdomen 

 and so, apparently, raise the flank and possibly give the conpling an 

 appearance of too great length. A short, strong coupling is desirable, 

 so long as the underline is long but not too much cut up in flank. The 

 back should be broad, well covered with muscles, the croup long and 

 muscular, the thighs deep, full and plump with muscle extending welJ 

 down over the gaskins, while the quarters, viewed from behind, should 

 be full, thickly muscled and not of the too common "cat-hammed" type. 



Hind Legs. — What has been said of the legs in general should be 

 borne in mind and it is especially necessary to insist upon strong stifles 

 and the largest and soundest of hock joints, which, in trotters, are set 

 low on account of long gaskins but should not inclinie to "sickle" shape 

 encouraging the throwing out of curbs or be too straight, shortening 

 action and inducing thoroughpins and bog spavins. Tendons should be 



