Management and Feeding of Heavy Horses 91 



The knees should be wide when viewed in front, and straight in 

 front when viewed sideways; at least there should be no tendency 

 to bend back at the knee. The hock should be of great width 

 when looking sideways at the mare, but narrow and free from 

 puffiness when looking at her from behind, and well set together 

 as hocks set wide apart are not at all desirable, and are to be 

 avoided. The bone under the knee and hock should be flat in 

 formation, hard in consistence, and free from fleshiness. Round- 

 boned, fleshy legs are very subject to grease, and a mare with that 

 class of bone should never be put to the stud. The muscle should 

 be well developed above the knee and hock; a strong muscular 

 forearm and thigh give power to pull a heavy load when the footing 

 of the animal is unfavourable, such as on a slippery road. The 

 curve of the hock is of great importance, as, if there is too much 

 bend, or what we term " cow hocks ", the animal is not so strong at 

 a pull, and is apt to strain the ligaments when pulling with all her 

 weight at a load, while very straight hocks are subject to spavin, 

 and devoid of action. 



The feather should be long and silky, and free from any 

 tendency to hardness or curling. This is important in both 

 Clydesdales and Shires, as the feather is generally indicative of 

 the quality of the b^ne, and of freedom from grease and other 

 leg troubles. 



A mare with such a class of legs and feet is almost sure to be 

 a good mover; but it is well to ascertain that this is so by testing 

 her paces, both walking and trotting, as good action adds greatly 

 to her value and usefulness. She should bend both knees and 

 hocks well, and put her feet straight forward without any side 

 action or throwing about of the feet. A mare that moves straight 

 economizes her power much more than one that throws her legs 

 all about; she is, besides, much more pleasant to see and to work 

 with. 



The Clydesdale breed excels in action. The late David Riddell 

 used to say about a particularly good specimen of the breed that 

 " her very step had music in't ". Shires have also been greatly 

 improved in action; but there is still much need of development 

 of action in both Shires and Sufiblks, so many of them having a 

 habit of lumbering on without using their joints. 



The above is a brief description of the style of animal which 

 should be kept in one's mind ; and, in selecting a mare for breeding, 

 the aim should be to select the nearest approach to such an animal 

 that can be obtained, bearing in mind, of course, that the perfect 

 horse has not yet been discovered. 



