70 THE HORSE 



digging the toe in nor putting too much stress upon the 

 heel, and, moreover, the foot must come to the ground at the 

 full stretch of the stride, and not be drawn back an inch or 

 two, as is not unfrequently the case. Horses thus tight- 

 shouldered cannot gallop in proper form, or extend them- 

 selves for just those few extra inches, when a ditch is 

 suddenly found to be unsuspectedly wide. Some riders 

 never appear to grasp this, and one acquaintance seemed 

 always to buy horses with this defect. Dealers used to 

 lay themselves out for him, and bring him good-looking 

 horses which they could not get a good price for on account 

 of this fault, and he cheerfully bought them, priding himself 

 on his acumen. During many seasons he never owned a 

 horse that could go, though in the stable they looked 

 superb. It never seemed to cross his mind that his own 

 judgment might be in error ! 



A fault that may sometimes be excused in a first-rate 

 performer is when the trotting action is not absolutely true 

 and the horse dishes more or less. Many a good horse does 

 this — an eyesore no doubt, but still it does not interfere with 

 his going well, though the undue strain thrown on certain 

 parts may provoke a splint to form. The famous hunter 

 sire in Ireland, Haymaker, whose stock was eagerly sought 

 and purchased, seldom sired an animal that was quite true 

 in its action, but he scarcely ever got one that was not a 

 superior performer. A horse which brushes must be an 

 unusually good hunter to retain its place in the stable, for 

 though various kinds of boots may minimise the trouble, 

 brushing gives rise to much extra care and attention, 

 though it may not incapacitate the animal from work. 

 Careful shoeing may often prevent it, and young animals may 

 grow out of the habit as they get older; it is generally 

 caused by the foot, and fetlock, being turned from the true 

 line of the cannon bone. A pigeon-toed horse — one 

 with its toes turned in — seldom hits itself, though the 

 contrary might be expected, but whilst this is an indication 

 of want of speed, turning out the toes is just the reverse. 



"When trotting a hunter should flex the hocks well, and 

 sharply, and bring the hind-legs under its body with energy, 



