34 HACKS AND HUNTERS 



tail of an otherwise breedy horse signify common par- 

 entage or draft blood. 



White ankles and white feet are, as a rule, more 

 delicate and liable to disease than dark ones, a fact 

 which may have given rise to the foolish old jingle: 

 "Four white feet and a white nose; cut off his head 

 and give him to the crows," etc. Nevertheless, in 

 horses of solid color, white ankles, one or two white 

 stockings, and a snip or streak on the animal's face 

 give a snappy appearance. Such markings must not, 

 however, be too conspicuous, nor should the white 

 stockings proceed at any point above the hock, for 

 this is considered too flashy and will count against a 

 horse in the show ring. 



A hack should have a good, flat-footed walk, capable 

 of covering four miles an hour, and a lady's hack, 

 above all, never should " jiggle." Few men realize 

 how tiring and annoying this habit is to a woman. 

 Stumbling (unless found to be the result of poor 

 shoeing rather than defective conformation) may pos- 

 sibly be pardoned in the hunter but never tolerated 

 in a hack; even though the horse may have a good- 

 enough shoulder to save himself from falling when he 

 stumbles, he will, nevertheless, be an unpleasant 

 mount. 



The trot should be quick and nimble, not the ex- 

 tended flying gait suited to the trotting track, but one 

 in which the horse's hocks are well under him and his 

 feet lifted gracefully and lightly. The motion of the 

 fore legs should come chiefly from the shoulder, and 

 the knees should be lightly, but not tightly, flexed. 



High action, particularly if the knees are tightly 

 flexed, is not conducive to comfort in the saddle; is 

 harnessy in appearance, and a horse possessing it not 



