208 Elementary Principles of Agriculture 



who keeps good horses. We will, however, say some- 

 thing about horses' feet. Inside a horse's hoof there 

 are some very sensitive parts, resembling the attach- 

 ment of the finger-nail to the finger. When anything 

 gets wrong with the foot, these parts cause a great deal 

 of pain, and even though the horse is otherwise perfect, 

 the pain in his feet makes him too lame to travel. 

 Horses with large, wide feet, that are wide across where 

 they touch the ground when you look at them from 

 behind (or in the heels), are not likely to have this 

 trouble. 



285. Style in Horses. Even though you have never 

 studied horses, you have seen some that impress you 

 as being more beautiful than others. No matter what 

 kind of work is to be done, it is desirable to have a horse 

 that looks well. Of course, it will depend upon whether 

 the horse is thin or fat, and upon the grooming he has 

 had, but you will usually find that the horses which 

 attract you have rather long necks that rise upward 

 from where they leave the body; the head, too, instead 

 of being set on straight up and down, will have the nose 

 pointed a little forward; the ears will be rather close 

 together, and the eyes larger and bright-looking. 



286. The Draft Type is becoming more popular wher- 

 ever horses are used. They are better suited to farm 

 work and the heavy hauling of large cities. Good draft 

 horses have large size, blocky build, short legs, broad 

 backs and quiet tempers. Percherons, Clydesdales, 

 English shires and Belgians are leading representative 

 breeds of the draft type. 



287. The Percheron is now the most popular draft 

 breed in America. They are docile, intelligent, active, 

 and have excellent feet; are heavy in weight, and 



