43 



CHAP. XV. 



ON THE QUARTERS. 



THE quarters of a horse comprehend the 

 hind parts, about the kidneys, &c. If a horse 

 be not full and strong made here, he should be 

 rejected, as the contrary evinces weakness, and 

 he will drag his hind legs after him in a loose 

 and slovenly manner. The weakness of the 

 quarters will be also observable in the drooping 

 of the tail, which denotes that the spine is 

 defective about the kidneys. Horses with long 

 backs are usually weak in the quarters, in the 

 joints of the hips, the hams or hocks, and so on 

 to the feet; and it may be observed that the 

 hind feet shoes and hoofs are worn away very 

 much at the point of the toes, which is done 

 by dragging the feet along the road. When 

 horses are much fatigued, they frequently bend 

 the hind feet totally back, and are in danger 

 of falling, and spraining the hinder joints a 



