CHAPTER II 

 THE HEAVY-HARNESS BREEDS OF HORSES 



THE form peculiar to all heavy-harness horses is close 

 and full made, with a high degree of finish and a stylish, 

 flashy way of going, characterized by extreme knee and 

 hock action. He is the horse of fashion, utilized for show 

 and park purposes almost exclusively. 



The term " heavy harness " applied to horses is fre- 

 quently misunderstood and horses so designated are com- 

 monly confused with drafters. The origin of the term is 

 clear if three divisions of horses are recognized work, har- 

 ness and saddle. Harness horses are further subdivided 

 into heavy and light according to the style of vehicle to 

 which they are put and the consequent weight of leather 

 which they are required to wear. 



HACKNEY HORSE. Plate III. Fig. 9. 

 By John A. Craig 



43. The present-day Hackney is a harness horse 

 breed. Among the early English writers on subjects 

 relating to the horse, the word " hackney " was appar- 

 ently used frequently as a synonym for roadster. The 

 word occurs in the earliest English, but its meaning, or 

 rather the class of horse that it was applied to, is not 

 made clear. Mr. Euren, the secretary of the English 

 Hackney Horse Society, states that the Normans, at the 

 time of their invasion, introduced the word haquenee or 



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