HORSES 



303 



Very often the chief reason why a horse is a farm horse 

 is because he is not one that would bring a good price in 

 the city. As labor becomes more expensive, we can afford 

 to give more attention to the character of the farm horses. 

 283. Draft Horses and Horses for Speed. There are 

 many contrasts between draft horses and those that are 

 kept for speed. Many of these characters are contra- 

 dictory, so that we can never hope to have horses that 

 are best for both speed and draft purposes. The following 

 table shows some of the contrasts: 



Trotter or roadster 

 General appearance: high, lithe, 



active. 

 Head and neck long, graceful, thin, 



light, little crest. 

 Large nostrils. 

 Eyes full, bright, intelligent. 

 Long sloping shoulders. 

 Front feet near together. 

 Body deep up and down. 

 Flank high. 



Legs rather long. 



Hoofs smooth, polished, no creases; 



not too flat. 

 Fetlock joint not too short nor too 



erect. 



Draft Horse 

 Low, massive, plump. 



Short, thick, broad neck, with a 



crest. 

 Same. 

 Same. 



More upright. 

 Far apart. 



Round, with well-arched ribs. 

 Not so high; should not be 



"wasp-waisted." 

 Not so long; not over half height. 

 Same, except flatter and larger. 



May be shorter and more erect. 



The hind legs of a greyhound and jack-rabbit have 

 powerful muscles. The front legs are relatively weak. 

 This is the case in all quadrupeds that are noted for speed. 

 It has been said that the chief use of the trotter's front 

 feet is to get out of the way of the hind ones. About all 

 that they have to do is to support the front part of the 

 body. An animal that is desired for speed needs good 



