CHAPTER XXVIII. 

 SOME IMPORTANT FACTS CONCERNING THE HORSE. 



Base of support. The horse's legs are his base of support, 

 just as the table legs support the table. The longer the legs, 

 the less stable the base of support. The smaller the base of 

 support, the less stable it will be. The less stable the base of 

 support, the greater the speed of the horse; while the greater 

 the stability, the greater the power for draft. The base of 



Fig. 117. Attachment of Fore Leg to Body. 



Cross-section through chest, showing the bones of the fore leg and the 

 muscular attachment of leg to body. 



support of any object will be most stable when it comes directly 

 beneath the center of weight. In horses the center of weight 

 is far forward, lying immediately behind the shoulders. Thus 

 the fore legs support much more of the weight of the horse than 

 do the hind legs, in fact it is the function of the forequarters to 

 support, and of the hindquarters to propel. This is the more 

 clearly shown when we examine the anatomy of the horse, for 

 we find that the hind legs are attached to the trunk by the strong 

 ball-and-socket joint, while the fore legs are not directly attached 



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