MEASURING. 



117 



cases leave unmistakable traces of their application ; the dif- 

 ficulty arises in discovering weakness and faults before they 

 have given any self-evident indication of their presence. 



Any of the following conditions, when they absolutely 

 impair the usefulness of a horse, are usually considered re- 

 spectively unsoundness or vice. When they exist at the 

 time of purchase the buyer is justified in returning a horse 

 that has been Qruaranteed sound and free from vice: 



Other blemishes than those mentioned, such as those re- 

 sulting from the friction of the harness, or from knocks and 

 blows, may or may not be of an objectionable nature, and as 

 a rule are merely an eyesore or indications of bad blood or 

 a tender skin. 



MEASURING. 



To properly determine the height of a horse the animal 

 should be placed on a level floor of hard substance. The 

 head should be held so that the line from the top of the 

 horse's head (the poll) to the withers is parallel with the 

 floor. The standard should be at right angles to the floor, 

 and the arm of the measure at right angles with the upright 

 section. The point at which the measurement should be taken 

 is at the highest part of the withers. Many standards are 

 made with spirit levels in both parts. A "hand" is four inches. 



