AGRICULTURAL AND HEAVY DRAUGHT-HORSES. 19 



gi'ouncls for it have been aroused than to run the risk of effecting 

 an unsatisfactory purchase. Whenever practicable, a trial at 

 work ought to be insisted upon before a purchase is completed, 

 not only for the purpose of ascertaining that the power and 

 temper of the animal are suited to what is required fi-om him, 

 but also that any symptom indicative of defect or unsoundness, 

 particularly of the respiratory organs and spine, may be surely 

 detected. 



Good action in all horses generally coincides with sym- 

 metrical and definite proportions, and these the experienced 

 eye of the horseman can quickly discern ; while from them he can 

 arrive at a tolerably satisfactory conclusion as to what the horse 

 he may be scrutinising is capable of doing in the way of work, 

 and also, to some extent, as to the animal's action. This is 

 the case with heavy draught-horses no less than with others. 

 It has been recognised that a horse required to move heavy 

 weights must be himself weighty, and also be endowed with 

 great muscular power, evidenced by large muscular develop- 

 ment all over ; he must also be near the ground — that is, have 

 comparatively short, powerful limbs. He likewise should pos- 

 sess " strong, sound feet, broad back and loins, deep chest and 

 ribs, prominent shoulders, wide between his fore-legs, and wide 

 from croup to hocks ; he should stand firm and square, with 

 his fore-limbs well outside him, the fore-feet in a direct line 

 with the body, the hinder ones very slightly pointed outwards ; 

 the pasterns should be sufficiently oblique to indicate elasticity 

 and freedom in action, without being too slanting ; all joints 

 and sinews should be well-defined, and the limbs clean and 

 proportionate. For the purposes of heavy draught, the neces- 

 sity for excellent conformation of the hind limbs is of far more 

 importance than the symmetry of the anterior extremities, and 

 although the perfect form and position for a horse's hind-legs 

 are familiar to every experienced man, the difficulty of de- 

 scribing them is extremely great. Horses required for lighter 

 c 2 



