DEALERS' TRICKS 117 



have a natural bend. Straight -legged horses are not 

 desirable. Avoid cow-hocks and bandy hocks I don't 

 know which is the worst. The hock should be large and 

 clean and fine, free from curbs, spavins and thoroughpins. 

 The points of the hocks should be in a straight line 

 with the back of the quarters. Capped hocks are not 

 to be avoided, as most vets, will pass them. The knee 

 should be large and slightly convex, with plenty of bone 

 below the knee ; this means that the bone under the 

 knee should not be pinched or in any way slender. 

 The tendons should be clean and not soft or puffy. 

 The pasterns should never be too long or sloping, but 

 short pasterns with a slight slope are most desirable. 

 The foot should be round and not narrow or contracted. 

 The forelegs should be free from splints, side-bones and 

 ring-bones. It would be as well to bu^ a veterinary book 

 and study these bony substances. 



Horses that stand with their legs " under them " may 

 be suspected of kidney or spine trouble. A dealer will 

 always hold this sort of horse's head high up, and also 

 make the horse stand on high ground to hide any defects 

 on the forelegs or pastern joints. If the dealer won't let 

 the horse stand naturally have nothing to do with it. 

 Always examine for broken wind, and the nostrils to see 

 if they have been plugged with a lump of cottonwool 



