300 Effective Farming 



increasing, at the same time that the use of automobiles 

 is increasing. This is specially true of heavy horses. The 

 raising of colts as an adjunct to other farm business is a good 

 practice. Mares are therefore particularly desirable as farm 

 horses. 



In the South the mule is in more favor for farm work than 

 the horse. He stands the heat, is adapted to rough conditions, 

 and is better handled by colored labor. 



164. Types. Horses may be grouped as draft, heavy- 

 harness, light-harness, saddle horses, and ponies. A brief 

 description of each of these types follows. 



The points of the horse are shown in Fig. 118. The location 

 of these points should be learned, as they will be helpful in 

 understanding the descriptions that follow. 



Draft horses. Those horses used for pulling heavy loads 

 are known as draft horses. They are broad, deep, low-set, 

 and massive, ranging in weight from 1600 to 2500 pounds. 

 Those that weigh less than 1600 pounds are known on the 

 market as chunks. Draft horses range in height from 15 to 

 17 hands. 1 



A broad, deep, compact body set on rather short legs is the 

 general conformation of a draft horse. The head should lack 

 coarseness, the forehead should be broad with good width 

 between the eyes, the neck of moderate length, and neatly 

 fitted to the shoulders, which should be obliquely set and of 

 good length. The back should be fairly short, the chest, deep 

 and broad, the coupling short, the ribs well sprung, the croup 

 should be straight and of moderate length. The hind legs 

 should be well placed, the thighs and quarters well muscled, 

 the hocks clean, the pasterns sloping, and the feet large and 

 sound. In action the horse should show snap and vigor, es- 

 pecially in the walk, and the stride should be long and regular. 



1 Height in horses is measured from the ground to the top of the 

 withers. The unit of measurement is a hand, or 4 inches. A height 

 of 15-3 hands means 15 hands and 3 inches. 



