94 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



leg and foot, the handling of each joint and the carriage of the en- 

 tire body, as the horse walks and trots. Watch closely for lameness. 

 The hocks should be carried well together when in motion. Rolling, 

 or waddling in front is due to too great width of chest. Knee and 

 hock action should both be free and comparatively high. Perfection 

 of action at the walk is of highest importance in the draft horse. 



Temperament. The draft horse should show a vigorous, lively, 

 energetic disposition, yet be docile, tractable and intelligent. He 

 should be neither sluggish, nor irritable, nor excessively nervous. 

 Perfect, 3 points. Noticeable vices, as cribbing, wind sucking, weav- 

 ing, tail switching, shying, biting, kicking, head shaking, etc., are 

 undesirable and a horse showing one or more of these habits should 

 be cut sharply. Sluggishness associated with fat should be avoided, 

 as it induces disease. Stupidity, clumsiness, meanness or excessive 

 nervousness are objectionable and should discount the animal. 



Head. Should be large, proportionate in size to the body and 

 well formed, clean, free from coarseness and irregularities. Perfect, 

 1 point. Strength may be shown in the head as well as the rest of 

 the body. It should not be excessively fleshy or irregular. It should 

 be carried well up and balanced properly upon the neck. 



Forehead. Should be broad, full and not dished or too promi- 

 nent. The profile of the face should not be too straight or of Roman 

 nose form. There should be good width, and fullness between the 

 eyes, which indicates power and intelligence. Perfect, 1 point. 



Eyes. Should be bright, clear, mild, full, sound, of the same 

 color. The lids should be smooth, well arched and free from angu- 

 larities and wrinkles. Perfect, 1 point. The eyes should be free 

 from cloudiness, specks and white spots. They should not be staring 

 or bulging. Test the eyes by gently threatening to strike with the 

 hand. A horse with good sight will flinch under this test. The 

 pupil should be elliptical in form, not circular, and should contract 

 when the animal is suddenly brought into the light from a dark 

 stable. 



Ears. Should be of medium size, well placed, alert, normally 

 active and free from coarseness. Perfect, 1 point. The ears should 

 be in proportion to the body in size, neither too large nor too small. 

 They should be of good quality, soft, pliable and free from excessive 

 amount of coarse hair. 



Muzzle. The nostrils should be large and flexible, the lips thin, 

 even and firm and all of the parts neat and clean cut. Perfect, 1 

 point. The skin and hair of the muzzle should be of good quality. 

 Small nostrils and a narrow face indicate poor breathing power. 

 Note the lining membrane of the nostrils and the partition between 

 them to see that it is pink in color, healthy, free from ulcers or 

 purple spots and with no discharge or bad odor. The lips should be 

 even, firmly held without drooping and be free from sores or wounds. 



Lower Jaw. There should be a wide space between the lower 

 jaw bones, free from meatiness, abscesses or tumors. Perfect, 1 

 point. Jaw bones that are too close together indicate deficiency in 

 ability to chew food and the animal is usually hard to keep in good 



