408 TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 



shoes produce height of action. Stimulants are sometimes 

 given to put spirit into the horse; these have only a temporary 

 effect, and when used at all are mostly used with show horses. 

 Short chains are sometimes fastened to the feet of young horses, 

 to teach them to lift their feet high. Exercising over rough or 

 freshly plowed ground, or in straw, is also a common practice, 

 to induce lifting of the knees and hocks. The toe is allowed 

 to grow out long, adding weight to the foot and requiring more 

 energy on the part of the horse in breaking over as he takes a 

 stride, so that when he does break over, the extra force tends to 

 carry the foot higher and farther away. Action produced by 

 any such methods as these is known as artificial action, in con- 

 trast to natural action bred in the horse. Artificial action is 

 usually discovered without difficulty. The practiced eye de- 

 tects that the horse is not doing his work with ease and pleasure. 

 There seems to be a straining of muscles, a "tied up" way of 

 going, and a lack of steadiness that is never seen in the natural 

 actor. Artificial action results in quick tiring of the horse; it 

 is not an unusual spectacle to see such horses come into the 

 show ring with high action which rapidly disappears until the 

 legs drag, if the horse is called upon to do much work, while the 

 natural actor goes high from start to finish. 



On the other hand, no matter how natural it may be for a 

 horse to go high, he still requires proper shoeing, bitting, train- 

 ing, and driving, in order that his inherent ability may be de- 

 veloped. Even after the horse is "made," as the saying goes, 

 if he is placed in the hands of an inexperienced reinsman, un- 

 skilled in driving heavy-harness horses, the result will be an 

 absolute failure. The trained carriage horse responds superbly 

 under the guidance of the master reinsman. Given proper aids 

 from word, whip, and rein, the horse instinctively responds 

 with the best performance of which he is capable. 



Speed. This is not important in heavy-harness horses; 

 only a moderate degree of speed is wanted. 



