THE ARMY HORSE IN ACCIDENT AND DISEASE. 



CHAPTER I. 



CONFORMATION AND POINTS— DEFECTS AND BLEMISHES. 



CONFORMATION AND POINTS. 

 (Plate I.) 



The forehead should be broad and not bulging; the eyes full, clear, 

 and prominent, with a mild expression, and not showing any of the 

 white; the muzzle not too large, as a coarse, large muzzle indicates 

 ill breeding; the nostrils large and open; the face straight; and the 

 lower jaw with ample width between the two sides, for the develop- 

 ment and play of the larynx (Adam's apple) and windpipe, and, in 

 addition, to allow the head to be nicely bent on the neck. 



The ears should be of medium size, set well on the head and held 

 erect. 



The parotid and submaxillary regions should be free from large 

 glands and without any loose skin at the lower part of the throat. 



The neck should be of moderate length, clean and not too narrow 

 at a point just in rear of the throat; a short, thick neck does not allow 

 of free movement from side to side, and a long, slim neck is apt to be 

 too pliable. A neck with concave upper border, known as "ewe 

 neck" is unsightly. The jugular channel or furrow should be free 

 from enlargements. The point of the shoulder should be well devel- 

 oped. The point of the elbow should not be turned in, as the horse 

 in that case is apt to turn his toes out; the opposite conformation 

 results in the condition called "pigeontoed." 



The forearm should be long and muscular; the knee broad, and 

 when looked at from the front, much wider than the limb above and 

 below, but tapering off backward to a comparatively thin edge. A 

 bending of the knee backward is called a "calf knee," and is very ob- 

 jectionable. The opposite condition isJcnown as "knee sprung." 



The cannon should be of uniform size; if smaller just below the 

 knee than elsewhere (a condition called "tied in"), weakness is to be 

 expected. 



