FIFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 383 



it is. It may not inaptly be defined as fineness in contradistinction to coarse- 

 ness. How frequently one hears a prospective purchaser say to a dealer: 

 "He is a very nice horse, but very ligrht in bone." The dealer almost in- 

 variably replies: "Yes, but his bone is of good 'quality,' " and still further 

 endeavors to make the statement more emphatic by saying that the bone is 

 so dense, so compact, so ivory-like that a cubic inch of it will weigh more 

 than a cubic inch of some other horse that has indisputably more bone. It 

 is a fact that the bone of some horses ,is much more dense or compact, and 

 is as the dealer expresses it, of better "quality" than that of some others. 



What causes this greater density in the bones of some individuals than in 

 those of others? We have to look to i^the elements of which bone is com- 

 posed for the determining cause. The animal tissues are made up of fluids 

 and solids. The solids are composed of three simple elements, viz: granules, 

 fibers and cells that are only determinable by means of the microscope. 

 A high-power microscope reveals a difference in these elements in different 

 individuals. This is most easily determinable with regard to the element 

 fibers. The fibers that form part of the tissues of an individual of high 

 "quality" are more slender, more compact and tougher than those of one 

 of less ''quality." One can appreciate this, even with the naked eye, in 

 examining the wall of horses' hoofs. In a horse possessing a fairly high de- 

 gree of "quality" the fibers which run from the coronet down, in forming 

 the basis of the wall, are most palpably finer than in those of the wail of a 

 coarser individual. So with the bone, the elements that combine to form it 

 in a horse of high ''quality" are finer and more highly organized than in 

 those of a coarser individual. 



What you find with regard to quality in the bones of an individual, you 

 find pervading all the tissues of his organism. You do not find a horse with 

 coarse bone and fine skin or coarse skin and fine bone. If the bone is fine 

 or has ''quality" in an individual the muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, 

 hoofs, hair and all the other tissues which enter into his composition are 

 equally fine or are of equal ''quality." The "quality" of a horse's bone 

 may be perfect, but undue or disproportionate length or other defective form 

 or faulty relationship of one bone to another may make his conformation 

 very imperfect indeed, so that it is difiicult to understand why some horse- 

 men think there is any relationship between "quality" and conformation. 



A high degree of ' 'quality" is apt to be associated with defects, or one 

 might almost state that a horse can have too much quality. Size or, more 

 correctly, substance is strength, other things being equal. A horse with a 

 high degree of quality may be so lacking in substance as to impair his power 

 for the performance of work or severe tests of endurance or speed. He may 

 be so light-limbed that he can not stand the "wear and tear" of hard work 

 and remain practically sound. We often find horses that are superfine 

 with disproportionately small feet and every experienced horsemen knows 

 that it is seldom that such horses can do much work and remain sound. A 

 horse, however, can not have too much ' 'quality," providing it is combined 

 with sufiBcient substance for the purpose for which he is required, A high 

 degree of ''quality" and sufficient substance are most important attributes 

 in contributing to perfection in horseflesh. 



