\52 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



are never ^rm and pood. B at tJie best and only 

 correct way to judi^e of legs, is to pans the hand 

 doW7i them ; if they measure mucli round, and 

 the sinews feel firm, hard, and distinct, like 

 well-braced cords, and if the intervening spaces 

 between bone and sinew be clean — free from 

 gvm — we may pronounce that they are good. 



The fetlock, as a joint, should be of large di- 

 mensions, proportionate with other parts; no 

 joint, in fact, is too large, providing its bony 

 prominences be distinctly seen with the naked 

 eye, and its lig-ament^i perceptible under our 

 fingers. I need not. therefore, farther enforce 

 this truth in speaking of these organs. Knnck- 

 Ungover in the fetlocks is a sign of original mal- 

 formation, such as iiprighiness in the paatems. 

 or else is the result of hard work ; and the tot- 

 tering affection of the limb, accompanying this 

 state, is caused by local debility and excessive 

 irritability in the nervous S3'stem. The pasterns 

 always deserve much of our attention ; when 

 f^ood, their length is proportionate with that of 

 other parts, and they incline, with much oldiqiri- 

 ty, downward and forward to the foot, should 

 they approach the 'perpendicular, they are al- 

 most always short, and are said to be straight 

 or upright ; but when they approximate to the 

 horizontal, they are long, and called, though 

 erroneously, oblique ; for they are not so ob- 

 liquely placed, under these circumstances, with 

 regard to the leg, as they are when properly- 

 constructed. Perhaps no part of the horee ex- 

 hibits the wisdom of Nature more, in regard to 

 the adaptation of it, in point of structure, to the 

 purpose for vs'hich the animal was designed, 

 than this : in the racer, for example, the pas- 

 terns are lengthy, and incline to right angles 

 with the legs, whereby more weight is imopsed 

 upon the hinder parts of the fetlock and hoof, in 

 which situations are placed pieces of mechanism 

 which by their elasticity serve as so many 

 springs in diminishing the effects of concussion 

 BO requisite in this animal, which was intended 

 to perform swift and sudden movements ; but 

 in the cart-horse, whose action is slow and pow- 

 erful, the pasterns are short and nearly vp- 

 right, so tlaat most of the weight is thrown upon 

 the main bones of the ibot, and thereby his 

 springs, which have less play than those of the 

 Arabian or thorough-bred, are not so much act- 

 ed upon ; con.sequently Uss provision is made 

 against concussion, for strength, and not elasti- 

 city, is sought for in the construction of this 

 powerful animal. Horses with very oblicjue 

 pasterns are more likely to break down, and for 

 this reason they ought never to be shod with 

 thin-heeled shoes; on the other hand, if they are 

 very short and upright in these joints, they are 

 seldom or never sure footed, and will soon be- 

 come stilt// and groggy from work. 



The hoof next engages our notice, and this is 

 a part of which we should be more than com- 

 monly scrupulous and nice in our insjiection : 

 " No foot, no hor.^e," is a trite but very true 

 adage, and one that is not kept sufficiently in 

 view by the purcha.scrs of horses, or tiiey would 

 not have so frequently to lament their hard fate 

 in having gone to VKirkcl for a screw. First, 

 we shoulil look to the size of the hoof: a small 

 foot is not only objectionable in itself, even 

 though it be a natural formation, but is often a 

 characteristic ofdisca.se; but a small and vv- 

 right foot is a morbid striictun', and is scarcely 

 ever siu'n in any one but a dancing-master, or 

 light-tiinl)er(>d tit. Whiti; jjoofs are to be eyed 

 with Hus|)icion; they arc really weaker, and 

 (730) 



more liable to disease than dark or black ones; 

 and if a horse has one white and the other dark- 

 colored, and he is lame, in nine cases 'lutof ten 

 it is the \\ bite foot that is aflected. So much 

 with regard to the exterior of the foot before it 

 is taken vp. Other considerations now engross 

 our attention. Is it contracted ? i. e. is its cir- 

 cularity destroyed by narrowness at the heels ? 

 A good hoof is circular in the tread, or nearly 

 so, measuring as much from side to side as 

 from toe to heel; but we frequently find those 

 that are morbid measuring as much from toe to 

 heel as twice the lateral diameter. On the other 

 hand, the wall of the hoof which should, at all 

 times, be perfectly smooth and free from ridges, 

 (the contrary indicating di.sease,) may be very 

 oblique, in which case it is not only circular, but 

 spreads ovt, even to a morbid degree, in the 

 tread. Large, heavy horses, such as are bred 

 in low, marshy situations, are most subject to 

 have this kind of foot, in which parts of the 

 country it is preferred by many people, who 

 contend that their hunters derive advantages 

 from it. As the strong and vpright foot is like- 

 ly to become contracted, so is this subject to a 

 (iiscase cnWed fleshy soles; indeed, in the for- 

 mer, the sole is concave ; but in the latter it is 

 flat, on w hich account the two require different 

 modes of shoeing. 



The body, or carcass, may be subdivided into 

 the chest, belly, and loins. So far as regards the 

 constitution of the horse, his stamina, or his 

 bo'tom, no part is of more consequence than the 

 chest ; but, like that of many other parts, no 

 particular construction of it is the best for all 

 kinds of horses. That of the cart-horse should 

 be circular, broad, in the bosom, and targe in the 

 girth ; that of the thorough-bred more circum- 

 scribed, but not flat-sided, very deep, and, also, 

 extensive in the girth ; so that the two differ 

 more in width than in depth. Had the racer 

 possessed a broad, circular chest, his shoulders 

 must have been thick, and his fore legs far apart; 

 and no horse so made can gallop well or fast, 

 though many such are ridden as hackneys ; they 

 are apt to have a rolling gait, and an awkward 

 mode of going altogether, percej)tible at all 

 times to the connoisseur in horseflesh ; but we 

 must be careful, even in choosing racers, not to 

 run into the other extreme ; for. if both legs come 

 oui of one hole, or he he flat-sided, he cannot en- 

 dure much fatigue, is very probably a bad feeder, 

 and certainly predisposed to disease of the 

 chest. A full and prominent bosom is a fine 

 point; and the ribs should stand out with suffi- 

 cient curve to afford space enough within ; for 

 which reason, some, as we before remarked, 

 prefer a thickish shoulder, if it be an oblique 

 one; and another advantage accompanying 

 such conformation is, that ue have sometiiing 

 between onr legs when mounted, a properly, 

 certainly, that every horse ought to possess. As 

 to the belly, its shape will depend mucli on 

 that of the chest and loins. A narrow-carcas.icd 

 horse can never do much work, readily loses his 

 condition, and with difficulty recovers it, being, 

 very commonly, but n queer feeder. We should 

 have something to kick against, and unless he 

 carries his dinner with him, his breadbasket 

 cannot be said to be of the best description. 



The back should be perfectly straigki ; a hoi 

 low back is a sign of want of strength ; but it is 

 oi'ten (extremely pleasant to the rider. A mack- 

 back, the reverse of a hollow back, is by no 

 means handsome, though some argue that horses 

 having such are stronger ; cue objccliou to il w 



