50 HOW TO JUDGE A HORSE. 



liind legs in tlie direction of the fore legs, but swerve 

 with both hind legs to one side. They travel like a 

 dog, placing the iisis of their motion diagonall}' to the 

 line of travel. The cause is either great weakness 

 or pain in the back. But, let there be no misaj^pre- 

 hension, many horses, from pain in the jaws, do 

 the same thing, when under the saddle, but, when 

 led by hand, go straight. 



The position of the limbs, seen from front or from 

 behind, should be perpendicular throughout, so that 

 the hip joint of the hind leg stands perpendicular 

 over the basis of the hind hoof, and, the elbow joint 

 of the fore leg, over that of the front hoof. The 

 j30sition of the bones of the fore leg, under normal 

 conditions, mnst form a straight line thningh its 

 entire length. 



The bones of a well-formed hind leg, looked at 

 from behind, show, on the contrary, an angular 

 course interrupted by the joints. The thigh Ijoiie 

 takes in its course downward and forward, an 

 outward direction, so that the stifle joint falls 

 sideways and outward of the perpendicular from the 

 liip joint, and the horse appears broader in the stifle 

 than in the hip. From the stifle joint, the leg bone 

 runs in an oblique direction downward and inward^ 

 and connects through the hock joint with the sh.ink 

 bone. This latter stands again perpendicular, and» 



