398 MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY 



knees is very likely to stumble and fall when his feet 

 come in contact with the smallest obstacle or inequality 

 of the road. In his action he ought to lift his fore- 

 legs high, and have a well-bent knee ; his hind-legs 

 should be placed considerably behind him, and widely 

 set. 



We must, however, remark, that he ought only to 

 lift his fore-legs moderately high. Some are of opinion 

 that the higher he lifts them the better, and conceive 

 that while possessed of this quality he never will come 

 down. This is a mistake, and it will be found that a 

 horse that raises his feet too high in trotting, produces 

 a disagreeable action, and shakes and fatigues even 

 the best of riders ; besides, he batters his hoofs to 

 pieces in a few years. The principal thing to be 

 attended to is the manner in which the hackney puts 

 his feet to the ground ; for if his toes first touch the 

 road, he is sure to be a stumbler ; the foot should 

 come flat down on the whole sole at once, otherwise 

 the horse is not to be depended upon in his trotting. 

 But every rider in passing along a road should be 

 constantly on his guard, as the best horse may come 

 down by a rolling or loose stone getting under his feet, 

 and therefore his mouth should always be felt by the 

 rider. 



Some persons prefer hollow-backed horses on 

 account of their paces being generally easy ; but it is 

 an ascertained fact that they will never stand much 

 work : the back should be straight and rather short 

 than otherwise. Many suppose that if the fore-legs of 

 a horse are close, the feet must necessarily cut the 

 pasterns ; but this is by no means the case, as it is 

 only when the feet are twisted or irregularly set in one 

 way or other that they cut. Indeed a saddle-horse 

 can hardly be too close before, or too wide behind. 



