116 LIVESTOCK ON THE FARM 



should not come high but the muscHng should come well down 

 both on the outside and the inside of the thigh. 



The gaskin is that part of the hind leg next to the body 

 or immediately below the thigh. It should be broad (rear 

 to front) and heavily muscled. The arm of the horse extends 

 from the point of the shoulder back and down to the elbow. 

 The latter joint is in the front flank at the upper part of the 

 front leg and above the underline of the body. The forearm 

 extends from the elbow to the knee. The whole of the arm 

 and all but the lower part of the forearm should be heavih- 

 muscled. 



The arm also should be comparatively short and as nearly 

 horizontal as can be had. The reason for this will appear 

 under the discussion of pastern. The arm should be long. 

 A long arm has a long muscle and a long muscle has greater 

 power of contraction than a short one. 



Shoulders. — The shoulders of a horse have a bearing sur- 

 face for the collar. This bearing surface should be heavy 

 enough, or, rather, should extend out far enough to prevent 

 the collar from slipping back onto the body. The shoulder of 

 a horse serves the same purpose in a way as does a man's head. 

 A certain man, asked, what was the purpose of one's head, 

 answered, ''To keep the collar from slipping off." 



The shoulder should also be smooth and even. A great 

 many horses have a thickness in the upper part of the neck 

 and shoulders. This makes it difficult to fit the collar. Under 

 such conditions the upper part of the collar is wider and there 

 is more motion from side to side as the horse walks. This 

 chafes the neck and makes it sore. And a sore neck may 

 lead to fistula, which is a very serious ailment. Even an 

 ordinary sore neck may incapacitate a horse for work. 



The shoulder also should be well sloped. That is, the upper 

 part should be farther back than the lower part. If a plumb 

 line is dropped from the upper part of the neck where the 

 collar rests it should fall back of the front leg. Sometimes 

 this slope is so great that this line will fall to the rear of the 

 leg a distance about equal to the width of the leg at the forearm 

 next to the body. 



I'hc purpose of this slope is very obvious. In hitching a 



