KNEE 73 



It is also important, in order that the body may be truly balanced, that 

 it should be well directed. Any deviation from the vertical line in one 

 way or another must be regarded as a serious defect of conformation, 

 inasmuch as it alters the distribution of the body-weight, and in doing so 

 not only tends to impair the natural action, but to relieve certain parts of 

 the limb to the detriment of others. 



Considered in relation to parts below the knee, the forearm should be 

 long and the canon short in all fast motors such as racers and chasers. 



The muscles of the former region, being coextensiA-e with the bones, Avill 

 in these circumstances enjoy a large range of contraction, and be able to 

 move the shorter canon through a greater space and with greater rapidity, 

 and thereby develop a higher speed. 



KNEE 



The knee as a factor in locomotion is of much importance in relation to 

 conformation. It is a large and complex joint, made up of a number of 

 bones united by many connecting ligaments, and so arranged as to allow 

 a free and extensive range of hinge-like action between it and the arm. 

 Although the degree of movement which it permits is very considerable, 

 it can only take place in the directions of flexion and extension, i.e. 

 bending the canon upon the forearm and projecting it forward. Important 

 tendons, by whose agency these movements are effected, cross the anterior 

 and posterior face of the joint respectively on their way to the bones below. 



From every point of view the knee should present ample space, its 

 surface should be regular, and its parts clean and well-defined. An aspect 

 of roundness is objectionable, since it denotes a thick skin and a super- 

 abundance of connective tissue beneath it, as well as a low cast of breeding 

 and a soft, lymphatic temperament. 



Viewed in profile the joint should be wide from front to back, and the 

 projecting angle seen at the outer and back part above should be large 

 and prominent, so as to give room for the play of the tendons which it 

 partly encloses, and to furnish ample space for the attachment of others 

 to it which assist in flexino- the knee. 



Eegarded from the front the joint should present a broad, flattened 

 surface for the accommodation of the extensor tendons which pass over it. 



The further advantages of a large knee will be to provide large articular 

 surfaces and generally to increase the capacity for movement, and to break 

 and disperse the effects of concussion. The direction of the knee should 

 coincide with the vertical direction of the forearm and canon. 



Deviations from this course of one kind or another are frequently 



