THE AEMY HORSE IN ACCIDENT AND DISEASE. 



CHAPTER I. 



COXFORMATION AND POINTS- DEFECTS AND BLEMISHES. 



CONFORMATION AND POINTS. 

 (Plate I.) 



The forehead shoiikl be broad and not bulijing:; the eyes full, 

 clear, and prominent, with a mild expression, and not showing 

 any of the white ; the muzzle not too large, as a coarse, large 

 muzzle indicates ill breeding; the nostrils large and open; the 

 face straight; and the lower jaw with ample width between 

 the two sides, for the development and i^lay of the larynx 

 (Adam's apple) and windpipe, and, in addition, to allow the 

 head to be nicely bent on the neck. 



The ears should be of medium size, set well on the head 

 and held erect. 



The parotid and submaxillary regions should be free from 

 large glands and without any loose skin at the lower part of 

 the throat. 



The neck should be of moderate length, clean, and not too 

 narrow at a point just in rear of the throat; a short, thick neck 

 does not allow of free movement from side to side, and a long, 

 slim neck is apt to be too pliable. The point of the shoulder 

 should be well developed. The point of the elbow should not 

 be turned in, as the horse in that case is apt to turn his toes 

 out ; the opposite conformation results in the condition called 

 ''pigeontoed.'' 



The forearm should be long and muscular; the knee broad, 

 and, when looked at from the front, nnich wider than the limb 

 above and below but tapering oif backward to a comparati\ely 

 thin edge. A bending of the knee backward is called a ''calf 

 knee," and is very objectionable. The opposite condition is 

 known as "knee sprung," 



The cannon should be of uniform size; if smaller just below 

 the knee than elsewhere (a condition called "tied in"), weak- 

 ness is to be expected. 



(9) 



