342 THE HORSE 



generally known that if the foot is held on high simply 

 with the fingers by the tip of the toe, the fetlock being 

 well flexed, very little exertion is required to hold it, and 

 no horse is able to get its leg down again ; but if, as is 

 often done, the groom holds the leg by the pastern, or takes 

 the whole foot into his hand, and allows it to be in a line 

 with the leg horizontal to the ground, it will tax his utmost 

 powers to retain his grasp, if the horse should turn restive. 



It is also frequently necessary to cover an eye with the 

 hand to prevent the horse resenting being handled, and 

 there is a right and a wrong way of doing this. The wrong 

 way is to put the flat palm against the eye, which most 

 likely irritates the horse, and if it should endeavour to jerk 

 its head away it will probably succeed in doing so. The 

 right way is to place the side of the hand behind the eye, 

 and then turn it sufficiently to prevent the animal observing 

 the other person examining it, when the wrist is in a 

 position to give to the motions of the horse, and the groom 

 can easily keep his hand in its place. 



As soon as the examination of the horse is finished, it 

 should be trotted to see if it is sound ; and herein lies the 

 advantage of trotting it after, instead of before, the 

 examination, for it has perforce been in a state of rest 

 whilst the latter has been made, and if there is any stiffness 

 there is a better chance now of detecting it. 



Let the horse first be walked slowly, with the head at 

 liberty and with plenty of rein. The way in which the 

 animal places its feet upon the ground must be carefully 

 watched, whether the toe is dug into the ground, or whether 

 it goes on its heels, or whether, as it should do, the feet are 

 placed evenly and flat. The evenness of the strides must 

 also be noted, and whether each hind-foot covers the print 

 of the fore-foot by exactly the same distance. Unless the 

 horse has its head quite at liberty it cannot do this, for 

 the stride will be shorter on the side to which the head is 

 pulled ; also a horse which has carried a lady, riding in 

 a side-saddle, throughout the winter, will almost always step 

 shorter with the off hind-leg than with the other ; but in 

 both cases the horse will trot with level action if it is sound. 



