THE HEAVY-HARNESS BREEDS OF HORSES 53 



met with in this breed than any other. The body must 

 necessarily be deep and round-ribbed, to give that appear- 

 ance of substance required, together with the rotundity 

 characteristic of the type. A loin swathed in muscles, 

 even to the extent of rounding upwards slightly, makes a 

 strong, short coupling, which should join smoothly a 

 plump rounded and deeply muscled hind-quarter. These, 

 with muscular thighs and well-set and strong hocks, are 

 derivative of the snappy and propelling hock action 

 behind. 



49. The action. It is in the action of the Hackney 

 that the chief merit of the breed for heavy-harness pur- 

 poses resides, although this statement is not meant 

 to belittle the special type required also. It is styl- 

 ish, attractive action, not speed, that is of most im- 

 portance. The front feet, in walking or trotting, are 

 lifted with snap and spring, and in the trot the foot goes 

 forward after being uplifted, as if it were following the 

 rim of a wheel. It is not held in the air at any one point ; 

 that is, the leg is not fully extended when the foot is 

 several inches from the ground, but it is still following 

 the imaginary rim of a wheel when it reaches the ground 

 and is planted firmly. When pulled up, it does not fly 

 toward the elbows as if to hit them, but goes up and out 

 without any delay in the knee-folding. While the fore 

 action is a point of paramount importance, yet it may 

 be said that in its hock action for heavy-harness purposes 

 the Hackney has hardly a peer. The hock is lifted 

 sharply toward the body, and the action is in no sense 

 sprawling. Many horses can be made to step high and 

 fold the knee, as a Hackney or heavy-harness horse should 

 do, but the true heavy-harness hock action is not sus- 

 ceptible to artificial imitation. The weakness of most 



