90 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



or the eye detects what appears to be a bone spavin and the hand 

 by feeling corroborates or disproves the suspicion. As a general 

 rule much handling is to be avoided. Excessive handling suggests 

 lack of confidence, experience and mature judgment. 



Purpose of the Score Card. The use of the score card in judg- 

 ing teaches the student to analyze the component parts of the horse 

 one by one until he becomes thoroughly efficient in estimating the 

 value of all points combined in the animal. Practice with it will, in 

 time, enable him to rapidly look over a horse, note its good and bad 

 points and arrive at a correct estimate of its value. For the beginner 

 who would become a capable judge of horses it is necessary at first 

 to examine each of the points noted on the accompanying score card. 

 The experienced judge does not use a score card in the judging ring. 

 By long practice he has learned to quickly observe and weigh all of 

 the points of the horse and estimate their relative importance, in 

 placing the animals of a group in their proper positions. The use 

 of the score card trains the student so that in time he is able to judge 

 without its help. The points or parts of the horse, referred to above, 

 are shown herein. They should be thoroughly learned and then 

 demonstrated to a competent judge who should explain the characters 

 of an ideal draft horse. Then repeated judging of many widely dif- 

 ferent horses by the score card cannot fail to make an intelligent 

 horse judge of the one who earnestly strives to become proficient in 

 this useful art. 



Method of Using the Score Card. It will be noticed that on 

 the score card the body of the horse is considered in sections, after 

 study of the general appearance of the animal, which is allowed 29 

 points as a perfect score. Each section is given a total value as, 

 Body 9 points and each member composing the section is studied 

 in proper order and weighted according to perfection or deficiency 

 noted. The student is advised to first note readily observable excel- 

 lencies and deficiencies or faults. The latter should be first consid- 

 ered and marked off on the score card. If, for example, the horse is 

 notably deficient in body, on account of lack of depth, spring of rib, 

 wealth of muscle or strength of loin and coupling, these points should 

 first be cut upon the score card, under head of Form and then under 

 Body as regards ribs; back; loins; underline. 



Supposing the horse is otherwise admirable in general appear- 

 ance but woefully deficient in legs and action, these deficiencies 

 should first be depreciated by cutting down the perfect score allowed 

 for each part contributing to the deficiency. The major defects 

 having thus been noted on the score card, the student may proceed 

 to consider each other point in turn and, wherever necessary, cut 

 proportionately according to the degree of each noticeable departure 

 from ideal type. 



Rule for Scoring. In scoring a draft horse by the score card 

 the amount cut for any defect should never exceed half of the total 

 number of points allowed for the part under consideration. Neither 

 should a cut of less than .25 point be made. For example, on the 

 Head, which is allowed one point, never cut over .50 nor less than 



