284 Management and Treatment of the Horse. 



so formed, as they seldom have good action ; 

 horses long in the quarters are seldom service- 

 able. If a horse is required for field sport, always 

 buy one short in the quarters, which is indicative 

 of all good leapers. The thighs should be mus- 

 cular and extending to the back, from which to 

 the hoof should be clean, flat and sinewy. The 

 back part of the thigh should have a considerable 

 bend, as a straight-legged animal seldom possesses 

 good action, although there are exceptions to this 

 rule. Avoid those that are '^ cat-hammed," viz., 

 with their hocks nearly touching each other, see 

 that the fore-legs are muscular down to the knee, 

 and otherwise well formed as I have described in 

 the hind-legs. The fore-feet should be nearly 

 circular, gradually increasing as they descend 

 toward the sole ; their inclination outward should 

 not be so great as that of the pastern. The 

 chances are that feet that slope too much forward 

 are diseased or liable to it ; besides this obliquity 

 throws the animal too much on its heels, which 

 produces tenderness of the parts and straining of 

 the back sinews. The position of the legs and 

 feet, or what may be termed their setting-on, 

 is a most important point. Viewing the horse 

 from the front, the horse's legs should be as near 

 straight as possible, its feet neither inclining to 

 the left nor right, as feet turned outward are very 

 liable to cut and trip, and the action is seldom 

 good or agreeable to the eye, having an outward 

 movement, and thereby losing ground at every 

 step. Horses with an inward inclination of the 

 feet are said to be '^ pin-toed '' or " pigeon-toed "; 



