26 THE HORSE 



clean bone ; tendons well defined ; close fitting, glove-like skin ; 

 hair fine and silky, an abundance of finish and absence of 

 coarseness, but not necessarily small bone. When slightly 

 exerted the skin will show clearly an intricate network of veins. 

 Coarse hair is usually associated with coarse skin and a soft, 

 spongy bone which is weak and subject to disease. With quality 

 the muscles stand out prominently and are clearly defined, which 

 aids in giving a horse finish. 



Reject a horse with meaty legs, or very coarse hair, 

 especially on the legs, or with a foot which is brittle 

 and lacking In closeness of texture. 



Quality and beauty are usually found together, and 

 yet one may exist without the other. A horse may 

 not be In the least beautiful, and yet he may possess 

 quality. For example, he may have an ewe neck, a 

 large head, long ears, a Roman nose, a sway back, flat 

 sides, slack loins, calf knees, cow hocks and a rat tall; 

 and yet If his coat Is short and silky, If his head, 

 though large, Is bony and well-cut, If his ears, though 

 long, are well-shaped. If his legs are flat and clean, and 

 If his hoofs are of fine, close texture, then the horse 

 has quality. Horses of the Shire and Clyde breeds 

 often look coarse at first sight on account of their 

 Roman noses and hairy legs, but In the best specimens 

 of these breeds the long hair about the fetlock Is fine 

 and silky, and their heads, though not handsome, are 

 clean-cut. 



In many large stables, where horses have been 

 bought without much judgment, almost all the horses 

 may be divided Into two distinct types: first, the 

 well-bred, smooth-hipped, fine-coated type; and, second, 



