HORSES 119 



Feet. — A horse is no better than are its feet. No matter 

 how well-built a horse is from the feet up, if the feet are poor, 

 the horse is no good. It must have its feet to walk upon and 

 if it cannot use its feet it cannot walk. A horse that cannot 

 walk cannot be used. 



The feet should be deep, broad, oval, wide at heel, of hard 

 and tough material, and of fine quality. The hoof is the outer 

 or hard part of the foot which encases and protects the sensi- 

 tive parts within. It also gives a durable surface. 



The hoof should be of good size and as nearly oval as can 

 be had. The heel should be wide and high but not so high as 

 the front part of the hoof. The entire hoof or foot from top 

 to bottom should be high or deep. The bone is in the center 

 and with a deep foot there is more room for attachment be- 

 tween bone and hoof. This makes a stronger foot. 



If the foot is shallow, the horse is said to be flat-footed and 

 there is a tendency for the bone to push through and assume 

 part of the pressure on its end. This causes tenderness and 

 pain. A horse with such feet cannot do much w^ork. 



The sole of the foot should be concave or hollow, making 

 the center higher than the outside. This gives it more 

 strength, just as a concrete arch is stronger than a flat slab 

 of concrete. A dark-colored hoof also is harder and will 

 wear better than a white one. 



The frog of the foot is the projection extending down from 

 the rear middle part of the sole. This should never be cut 

 off or disturbed. It acts as a cushion and aids the slope of 

 the pastern and other bones to give elasticity as the foot comes 

 into contact with the earth or road bed in traveling. The 

 frog should be large and well developed. 



Head and Neck. — ^The head of a horse should be lean with 

 capacity for brains and should show much intelligence. The 

 neck of a draft horse should be thick and well developed with 

 considerable arch or crest; that is, a fullness or curvature on 

 the upper side. This gives added weight to the front end of 

 the horse. 



This added weight in front is very important because as the 

 horse pulls there is a tendency for the front part to lift up. 

 This is true because the attachment of traces to hames is 



