THE STALLION. 31 



ually worked to in that way. It is not often 

 advisable to try to span the chasm between the 

 1,000-pound mare and the 2,000-pound stallion 

 at one leap. As size is attained from 1,500 to 

 1,600 pounds and upward the ton stallion is all 

 right, but with mares of 1,000 pounds or less a 

 horse of not more than 1,650 pounds will do 

 better work than a larger one. The same prin- 

 ciple applies in all horse breeding the more 

 divergent the types of the parents the smaller 

 are the chances of breeding good horses from 

 them. 



In choosing either stallions or broodmares, 

 outside of actual unsoundnesses, avoid long 

 couplings, light ribs, weak loins, light flanks, 

 narrowness of conformation, calf-knees, sickle 

 hocks, straight pasterns and small, steep, flat, 

 shelly or low-heeled or mulelike feet. Very 

 light bone also should be left for some one else, 

 also crooked top lines, low backs, drooping 

 rumps, ewe and short straight necks, sour or 

 " fiddle " heads, sow ears, dish faces and small 

 piggy eyes. Sidebones, ringbones, spavins and 

 thoroughpins are most common unsoundnesses. 

 Each is easily detected. A splint does not 

 matter much in a young horse. The legs should 

 be smooth and clean from the knees and hocks 

 down to the coronet and so to the hoof which 

 should be of fine texture without ridges, cracks 

 or breaks. If in running your hand down the 

 leg you find a bump, look to it closely. 



