694 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



length of the foot on the ground should be greater than its breadth, and the breadth should 

 be greatest across the center, lessening towards both the toe and heel. The heel should be of 

 medium height, neither too high nor too low. The hoof should also be of fine texture, 

 smooth and tough-looking. A brittle hoof is very objectionable. The frog should be large 

 and healthy, and never be cut, or otherwise tampered with. Reasons for this will be fully 

 given in connection with the subject of shoeing. 



The Back. It is generally conceded by all experienced horsemen the world over that, 

 other conditions being equal, the strength of a horse s back is inversely in proportion to its 

 length, the short-back being the strong back, and the long back the weak one. Consequently 

 the short-backed horse has proportionately greater powers of endurance as well as strength. 

 Flora Temple was a short-backed horse, and usually ended her victorious summer campaign 

 in a better condition than when she began. Maud S., Governor Sprague, Taggart s Abdallah, 

 Dexter, Thorndale, and other noted animals, are also horses of this type. Such a formation 

 of the spinal column as produces considerable of a dip or hollow immediately back of the 

 withers is objectionable, since it interferes with the space which should be occupied by the 

 heart and lungs, and affords them less room than is essential for their perfect development. 



The Hihd Quarters. Here is where both speed and strength lie, while the fore legs 

 are designed, for the most part, for support. They are, in fact, the great moving power of 

 the body. These impel the body forward through the air, and also start the heavy loads. 

 The hind-quarters of the animal should, therefore, be so constructed as to admit of great 

 strength and endurance, which should be with long bones well placed, and long powerful 

 muscles, by means of which these bones are to be moved. 



The rump should be of medium width, although narrowness at this point should be 

 avoided, being an indication of a lack of strength. 



The thigh bone is heavily overlaid with large, powerful muscles, which constitute the 

 principal moving power of the whole body. This bone should be long, in order to admit of 

 a long stride, and consequently speed in the animal. Shortness of this bone and the one 

 below it indicate that the horse is incapable of taking long strides, and is consequently a 

 short stepper. The muscles that surround them should also be long, heavy, compact, and 

 well developed inside, as well as outside the thigh. Flat or soft muscles here are a sure 

 indication of a want of power. 



The Teeth. Determining the Age of Horses, etc. It is a truth recognized 

 by horsemen of all nations, and from the earliest records of which we have any knowledge of 

 the horse, that his age can only be determined with any certainty by the appearance of 

 the teeth. 



Xenophon, in his writings, alludes to the custom of selecting cavalry horses for the 

 Grecian army by this means, and the rejection of such as had lost the dental mark. Various 

 Roman writers, such as Columella, Virgilius, and Varro, also mention the practice of exam 

 ining the teeth of horses in order to determine their age. 



So many arts and deceptions are practiced by crafty and dishonest dealers at present, 

 in manipulating the teeth, that unless a person is well skilled in judging and handling horses 

 he would be very liable to be deceived in this respect. The adult horse has forty teeth; 

 six incisors or nippers, two canines or tushes, and twelve molars or grinders to each jaw. 

 The canines are generally wanting in the mare. An additional small tooth sometimes makes 

 its appearance in advance of the upper molars. The incisors are placed close together at the 

 terminus of the jaw. They have greater length and curvature than those of ruminants, and 

 differ also by the fold of enamel which penetrates the crown. As the tooth is worn down, 

 this fold becomes a ring of enamel with a cavity filled by cement and particles of food, and 

 is denoted by horsemen as &quot;the mark.&quot; 



