218 AGRICULTURE FOR COMMON SCHOOLS 



1. The French Coach. — This breed comes from that part of 

 France known as Normandy, where it has been bred for many 

 years. Animals of this breed have long bodies, long and arch- 

 ing necks, and a long, powerful stride and high knee action. 

 The French speed their horses on sod, because they believe 

 that travelling over such a track will develop the kind of action 

 most desirable in a carriage horse. The color of the breed is 

 sorrel, bay, and brown, in varying shades. This breed is 

 widely distributed in the United States, but the total number 

 is not large. 



2. The German Coach. — This breed consists of several 

 types, depending on the section of Germany from which they 

 come, such as the Hanoverian, Oldenburg, and East Friesland 

 horses. The Oldenburg is the heaviest type and the one 

 most commonly imported to America. The color of the 

 German Coach is always a bay, brown, or black. The body 

 is heavier than that of the French Coacher. The German 

 Coach horse nearly always has good feet. The breed is from 

 sixteen to sixteen and a half hands high and weighs from 

 1,350 to 1450 pounds. There are very few pure-bred French 

 Coach and German Coach horses raised in the United States; 

 nearly all are imported. 



3. The Hackney. — Hackney is a term formerly applied to 

 a class of horses used for drawing light vehicles at considerable 

 speed. Modern selection has developed them into a breed of 

 heavy-harness horses. This breed was first developed in 

 north-eastern England. The Hackney is a horse with a 

 broad and level back, short, round body, short legs, arching 

 neck, with head carried high — altogether a strongly-built, 

 active animal. The Hackney is a *' high-stepper," that is, 

 the knee and hock are bent so that the feet are lifted high and 



