JUDGING. 167 



The line of a perfect shoulder is at an angle of 45° 

 to the line of the belly; the steeper it grows from 45° 

 the less freedom has the animal in its movements. 

 His action gets cramped or " round." He is more 

 liable to trip, for he cannot lift his foot as well over 

 stones and other impediments. There are those who 

 argue that the shoulder of the cart-horse should be 

 steep to allow of a more equable strain upon the collar. 

 Surely this end might be secured by the packing of 

 that portion of the harness. Any additional amount 

 of strength that some may fancy is to be obtained by 

 a steep, elephant-like shoulder, is surely more than 

 counterbalanced by the contraction of the stride and 

 the propensity to stumble. This angle of the shoulder 

 in cattle Mr. Bates was disinclined to, or rather pre- 

 ferred a steep one, as allowing a longer back — hence 

 the defect so common in the Bates cows, of a hollow 

 behind the shoulders. His opinion, however, in that 

 respect, has no favour with the breeder now-a-days, 

 every likely pig, sheep, and cow being turned out at 

 the Royal Show to see whether they can walk well 

 and freely. 



The pastern should slope at this same angle of 45°, 

 thereby combining in the highest degree strength and 

 elasticity. The Arab, whose foreleg is set much far- 

 ther under him than the English rider likes (Shak- 

 spear), has a much acuter angle. This gives that 

 easiness of pace which, with his peculiar stilty 

 action, could not otherwise be looked for. In 

 walking, the heel should come down first, the toe 

 subsiding after. If the toe hit the ground first, the 

 horse is sure to be a stumbler. A thin flat sole, as a 



