HOW TO KNOW HBI. 31 



upon to draw. To meet these several wants, Nature, 

 whose results are always such as the highest reason 

 would suggest, builds an upright, thick, and heavy 

 shoulder formation, so rounded and filled out with mus- 

 cles, flesh, and fibre, that the pressure is not borne by 

 that point where it begins when the horse "settles into 

 the collar," but is carried up and over the entire resist- 

 ing surface. This, to a heavy draught-horse, is a "per- 

 fect shoulder ; " and no amount of excellence in the other 

 parts of the animal's organization can make good any 

 variation from this construction of the shoulders. Such 

 a horse will be a "great puller," but heavy and slow of 

 movement, and utterly incapable of speed beyond a 

 kind of ox-like trot. For the purposes of lighter 

 draught the shoulders should be lighter, less circular, 

 and more oblique, with a decidedly higher wither; 

 for this variation in the shoulder formation will qualify 

 him to do moderately heavy work, and at the same time 

 enable him to move more lightly and quickly. This 

 modified draught-horse is the one for general farm-work, 

 and family-service on the road. The old Morgan type 

 of shoulder formation — such as Justin Morgan had, for 

 instance — is the best possible form for such service, and 

 which, in connection with the other excellent qualities 

 he possessed, made that horse able to move a heavier 

 dead-weight than any other horse of his size of ivhich 

 we have any record. 



The horse destined for the saddle and carriage service 

 should, on the other hand, have an altogether different 



