90 Management and Feeding of Heavy Horses 



characters of mares. If the look of the eye, the fretful twitch of 

 the ear, and the defiant toss of the head show any signs of bad 

 temper, it is well to avoid a mare of that sort. On the other hand, 

 the vacant sleepy look that betokens stupidity and laziness, is also 

 to be avoided. Brightness and intelligence, combined with good 

 nature, are the desirable qualities, and these may be recognized in 

 the little mannerisms of head, eyes, and ears, the talking organs of 

 the horse. Close observation, however, is better than any amount 

 of descriptive writing in teaching one how to acquire the art of 

 recognizing character in any animal. 



The mare should have a fairly long neck, well crested and just 

 slightly arched, and nicely set into the shoulders, which should be 

 sloping at a considerable angle. A horse or mare with upright 

 shoulders always goes as if fettered, and cannot step out, is apt 

 to stumble, and does not get over the ground quickly. The tail 

 should be well set up in line with the back, and not drooping. 

 A droop-tailed horse is ugly, and often of a sluggish disposition. 

 Most important of all, however, are the size, shape, and quality of 

 the feet and limbs. When we come to consider that the work of 

 the heavy horse is the moving of heavy weights on the hard road 

 or paved street, we readily recognize the necessity of his being 

 furnished with strong limbs and large well-shaped feet. 



The hoofs of the mare must be of the proper shape and slope, 

 well dished out underneath, wide at the heels, and strong at the 

 top or coronet. The Clydesdale mare excels in these points; but 

 there is still room for much improvement in the Shire and the 

 Suffolk. The hoof should be of a tough nature; brittle hoofs are 

 very objectionable, troublesome to the blacksmith, frequently break- 

 ing off with the shoe, and a prolific cause of lameness. The fetlock 

 should be strong, fairly long, and nicely sloped at an angle of about 

 forty-five degrees. Short as well as upright pasterns are very 

 objectionable, and do not stand the jar of the hard road ; there is 

 a want of elasticity and springiness in the upright pastern that 

 creates greater concussion on the stones and causes more frequent 

 lameness. On the other hand, a very long pastern, or one that is 

 sloped down too flat, is by no means a strong one, and although 

 allowing free action and enabling the horse to go easy when not 

 heavily loaded, yet it is apt to give way and break down when the 

 horse has to put all his weight in the collar to move a heavy load. 

 The feet should be set straight on the legs, and the mare should 

 move them straight forward. The toe (or front centre of the hoof, 

 as there is really no toe) should neither turn inwards nor outwards; 

 pigeon-toed and splay-footed animals are both very objectionable. 



