150 VARIETIES OF THE HORSE 



is shunned by driving men, whilst a heavy head and a dull expression 

 generally accompanies a soft, cowardly disposition, which prevents its 

 possessor from struggling on under ditKculties, as many Harness horses 

 are called upon to do. 



The neck of a Harness horse should not be short or heavy, as both these 

 faults are apt to make him clumsy, a defect which is prejudicial to the 

 merits of any horse. His neck, too, should be firmly placed on his shoulders, 

 which need not necessarily be so oblique as those of the Saddle horse, nor is 

 it imperative that the withers should lie so far back. Indeed, many persons 

 advocate a moderately straight shoulder in the Harness class of animal, being 

 of the ojjinion that such a formation more readily adapts itself to the collar, 

 but in this respect, as in all others, it is no difficult thing to go too far, as 

 coarse shoulders not only are liable to injure action, but detract very much 

 from the appearance of any horse. Big forearms, with plenty of length 

 above the knee, and short from this joint downwards, with broad flat canon- 

 bones, are very desirable features for a Harness horse to possess, whilst the 

 pasterns should slope, and the feet all round be of good size, well formed, 

 and of course sound. Considerable depth and fair breadth of chest should 

 also be present, so that whilst the speed and " handiness " of the animal are 

 not affected, there may be plenty of room for the play of both heart and 

 lungs. 



It is not absolutely necessary that the l)ack of a Harness horse should be 

 as level as that of a Hack, as he is not required to carry any considerable 

 weight upon it ; but a distinctly hollow or dipped back is a great eyesore, 

 and should always be avoided when possil)le, though a really good animal 

 in other respects need not be discarded if his back happens to be hollow. 

 Neither is a badly ribbed- up middle piece or a slack loin a fatal defect, 

 though any signs of weakness, such as these, depreciate the value of an 

 animal and detract from his appearance. On the other hand, the import- 

 ance of good quarters can scai'cely be overestimated, as a horse which is 

 cramped here is naturally placed at a disadvantage for harness work; whilst 

 good thighs and hocks are quite essential to him. The stifle joints should 

 be nicely bent — but not too much so — and there should be plenty of length 

 of limb between them and the hocks, which in turn should be large and 

 powerful, and of course quite clean and free from blemish. A capj^ed hock, 

 let it be mentioned, though an unsightly disfigurement, does not of a neces- 

 sity betoken unsoundness or an incapacity for work, and therefore need not 

 entail the discarding of an otherwise good horse, provided he is passed sound 

 in other respects ; but they are always better avoided if possible, if only on 

 account of their ugly appearance. There should not be too much of a bend 

 at the hocks; " sickle hocks" are very often associated sooner or later with 



