392 TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 



waxy, and smooth, indicating toughness and durability. The 

 form of the hoof should be round. Inasmuch as the wall of 

 the hoof grows out from the coronet or hoof -head, the size and 

 shape of the foot will depend largely upon the size and shape 

 of the hoof -head, which should therefore be large and round. 

 A foot that is large on the ground and cramped and small at 

 the hoof-head has too much flare of the wall to provide strength, 

 and is not a good foot. The sole should be concave, as this 

 means strength. Flatness of sole is a common fault among draft 

 horses. The bars should be strong, to insure against contraction 

 of the heels, and the frog should be large and elastic. The heels 

 should be very wide and fairly high, and the fore feet should be 

 symmetrically made and uniform in size and shape. The position 

 of the feet and legs should be as described in Chapter XXVIII. 



Ribs. The ribs should be well sprung and deep, giving 

 a wide, deep body. Such a conformation provides a strong 

 middle-piece, gives the necessary weight to the animal, and 

 indicates good digestive capacity, as well as ample room for 

 heart and lungs. The distance from the last rib to the hip 

 should be short, and the flank should be deep. Horsemen 

 speak of a deep, full flank as a "good bread basket," and in 

 certain sections of the country where a business is made of 

 feeding drafters for market, care is taken to select animals for 

 feeding that have deep, full middles, for the other kind are poor 

 feeders and cannot easily be made fat. The horse that is cut 

 up high in the flank is said to be "wasp-waisted," "tucked-up," 

 or "washy." When put to work, such horses show lack of en- 

 durance or stamina, for they do not consume enough feed to 

 replace the energy expended in doing hard labor; hence they 

 become very thin in flesh, and are unable to do hard work for 

 many days in succession. The middle of the draft horse in good 

 flesh should be very large, and as round as a dollar. 



Back. The back forms the connection between the power, 

 which is in the hindquarters, and the point of application of this 

 power, which is the shoulder. A short, rather straight, broad 

 back that is heavily muscled affords the strongest conformation. 

 A short, wide back is not only more rigid than a long, narrow 

 one, but also brings the power closer to the collar; it is therefore 

 much desired because of its mechanical advantage over the long, 

 rangy conformation. 



Loin. The loin is usually called the "coupling." It lies 

 just in front of the hips, and includes those vertebrae which 



