CONFORMATION AND ACTION 23 



uncomfortable to ride, nor should they be excessively 

 sloping. The latter formation is apt to denote great 

 speed and is very elastic, but in common with exces- 

 sively short pasterns does not stand up to work very 

 well and is often subject to ringbone. Illustration fac- 

 ing page 2 shows a pastern sufficiently sloping to give 

 an elastic tread yet strong enough to stand work. 



The forefeet, when viewed from the front, should 

 turn neither out nor in, but of the two evils the latter 

 is preferable; for horses whose feet turn out are apt 

 to brush and interfere. Feet which are either above 

 or below the average in size are apt to be brittle and 

 cause foot trouble, while the possessors of very small 

 feet are predisposed to stumble. The horn or wall of 

 the foot should be smooth, sound, and long enough to 

 give depth of fully an inch behind. The slope of the 

 horn of a perfect foot should be about 50 degrees to 

 60 degrees from the ground. A greater angle pre- 

 disposes to contraction, and flatter or more shallow 

 feet with very low heels are liable to corns, laminitis, 

 etc. The hind feet are generally more upright in 

 slope than those in front (about 60 degrees). Con- 

 tracted feet or those of different size, should be re- 

 garded with suspicion. White feet are usually more 

 predisposed to disease than dark ones. 



A rough, chipped appearance of the horn denotes 

 undue brittleness, while " rings" are usually a sign of 

 disease. They are, however, sometimes seen on horses 

 at grass, due to the alteration of the succulence of the 

 grass at various seasons, but it takes an experienced 

 eye to be able to tell grass rings from those caused by 

 disease, and they should therefore be looked upon with 

 suspicion until their origin can be determined and 

 verified. 



