20 NAMES OF EXTERNAL PARTS. 



line drawn across this bone at the point at which its head 

 begins to enlarge in order to form a joint with the lower 

 bones of the hock. 



The -point of the hock (Q) is the bony projection at the 

 back and top of the hock. 



The parts of the hind \eg below the hock are similarly 

 named to those of the fore leg below the knee. 



The Dock (R) is the sohd part of the tail. 



N.B. — The following definitions have reference to 

 Fig- 15 :— 



The Height of a Horse (A B) is the vertical distance 

 of the highest point of his withers from the ground, when 

 he is standing with his fore legs nearly vertical and with 

 the points of his hocks in a vertical line with the points 

 of his buttocks. It is well to qualify '' vertical " with 

 " nearly " when referring to the fore legs ; for when the 

 hind legs are placed as in Fig. 15, the weight of the head 

 and neck, which are in front of the fore legs, would cause 

 the animal to stand somewhat " over." This figure was 

 drawn from a photograph of that well-shaped race-horse, 

 Tristan, who was standing, if I may use the expression, 

 " at attention." When a pony is being measured for 

 polo or racing, his legs should be placed in the position I 

 have described. 



The Length of the Body of a Horse (Z) E) is the 



horizontal distance from the front of the chest to a line 

 dropped vertically from the point of the buttock. This 

 measurement is a somewhat arbitrary one ; but it is pro- 

 bably the best for the purpose. 



Colonel Duhousset, in his book, Le Cheval, takes the 

 length of a horse as the distance from the point of the 

 shoulder to the point of the buttock. As this is not a 

 horizontal measurement, the one just given is evidently the 

 better of the two. 



