THE DRAFT BREEDS OF HORSES 



31 



teristic markings than most of the other draft breeds, 

 but in uniformity of type there is a striking similarity 

 among the best. The head is almost invariably intelli- 

 gent. The shoulder is exceptionally good, which gives 

 a free, easy, long stride. It is somewhat oblique, accom- 

 panied by high withers. The arm is usually well mus- 

 cled, and the bone clean and flat. The feather (hair on 

 the legs) in horses of the best quality springs from the 

 edge of the cannon, 

 and is fine, silky 

 and long. It is not 

 considered of much 

 importance in itself, 

 but is valued for 

 what it indicates. 

 The assertion is 

 made that a proper 

 feather protects the 

 coronet and back 

 part of the pastern 

 from filth and mud, 

 and, consequently, is 

 preventative of scratches. It has often been objected to 

 in America. At any rate, the feather, when fine, indi- 

 cates that the other tissues, the bone and skin, are also 

 of fine texture. Conversely, when the feather is wiry and 

 coarse and curly in this region, it surely denotes a leg 

 predisposed to grease or scratches. The pastern and feet 

 have been vastly improved in this breed in recent years, 

 owing to the demand for more slope and length in the 

 former and larger hoof heads in the latter. The same is 

 true to a degree in regard to the coupling, which at one 

 time was considered the weakness of the breed, attribut- 



FIG. 4. Clydesdale stallion, Baron's Pride, 

 leading sire of the breed. 



