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52 THE HORSE. 



a most onerous duty to perfonn, and no otlier muscles 

 can fulfil it in theii' place. The first two must not 

 only be strong, but it is also absolutely necessaiy that 

 they be long. The longer the muscle, the greater wiU 

 be the amount of its contraction, and the amount of 

 the contraction determines the length of the stride. A^ 

 long aim, fm-nished with long muscles, is a decided 

 advantage to every horse intended for useful pmposes ; 

 and, in particidar, it is indispensable to the racerj If an 

 animal, however, is doomed to caiTy a dandy, the arm 

 reqmres to be short, in order to give a dancing, pranc- 

 ing, showy knee action, which T^dU attract attention to 

 the fancied importance of the empty-headed rider. It 

 is in this case alone I woidd advocate a short arm ; in 

 all other instances it is decidedly the better of being 



long. ^^JfJt^ 



^ The knee shoidd be^flat and veiy broad. It is ex- 

 posed to frequent and Adolent concussions, and there- 

 fore requires a great breadth of surface for the pur- 

 pose of affording sufficient room for the msertion of such 

 powerful tendons and Ugaments as are required about 

 a joint composed of eleven different bones. It is worthy 

 of remai'k that, in nme cases out of ten, the seat of 

 lameness in the fore-leg will be found somewhere between 

 the knee and the ground, whereas in the hind-leg it 

 is ahnost invariably in the hock. ^ n<^ ^"^ ' 



The part included between the knee and the pastern 

 is called the leg. It is composed entirely of bone, 



