66 CONFORMATION AND ITS DEFECTS 



shall find that the distance from the top of his withers to his brisket, 

 if api^lied down his fore-leg, will reach from his brisket only to the 

 bottom of his fetlock. In the high-class Leicestershire hunter it will 

 come down to the middle of the pastern, in the heavy-weight hunter 

 to the coronet; in the artillery 'wheeler', or light cart-horse, to the 

 ground; and in a Cheadle Jumbo it will be four inches more in 

 length." 



Width. — In the exercise of our judgment on this point it is necessary 

 to view the chest first from the front, whence the extent to which the 

 ril)s project beyond the line of the shoulder will be noticed, and then by 

 standing first to the right and then to the left, before and l)ehind respec- 

 tively, a more complete inspection may be made of its general contour. 

 The greatest width of this region will be found at a point corresponding to 

 about the eleventh rib. It is, however, to be understood that in estimating 

 the transverse diameter of the chest some consideration must be given 

 to the condition of the horse as to his state of obesity and muscular 

 development. 



Very fat animals may display ample width and roundness for the 

 time being, only, however, to subside to the meanest proportions after 

 a brief period of ordinary work, or a change from sloppy food to hard 

 corn. Conversely, the standard of measurement presented by horses, 

 and especially young ones, when ill-done and emaciated, may lead to an 

 under-estimate of what the transverse measurement of the thorax may 

 be when they are in fair condition. To be able to appreciate these 

 discrepancies and to form a sound judgment of the actual dimensions 

 of this region is a qualification only to be acquired by long practice 

 and close observation. 



LEGS 



Tlie legs ai'e supports situated right and left of the anterior and 

 posterior extremity of the body respectively, hence they are distinguished 

 as front- and hind-limbs. They each comprise a column of bones 

 articulated tooether at irreoular intervals, forming large, free -moving 

 joints, and besides supporting the trunk serve for the attachment of 

 muscles through whose agency the 1)ody is moved from place to place. 

 The muscular apparatus by which this is effected is confined to the upper 

 portion of the limbs, and by means of long tendons (fig. 12, p. 20) acts 

 upon and directs the movements of the bony segments below. By this 

 disposition of parts the lower portion of the leg is rendered light, and 

 enjoys as the result a freedom and liberty which could not otherwise have 

 l)een the case. The weight of muscles attached to the lower extremity of 



