102 THE HORSE 



ically studied. If the animal under consideration is 

 good, if his or her progeny is satisfactory and if the 

 ancestors for two or three generations are of good 

 repute, one need not be afraid to purchase although 

 nothing of the breeding of the remote paternal ancestor 

 may be known. Other things being equal, a long pedi- 

 gree is better than a short one; but a short pedigree and 

 an animal of known prepotency is better than a com- 

 monplace one with a long pedigree "tailed" by one or 

 two noted animals bred fifty to seventy-five years ago. 



Description and Characteristics. Color, bright bay, 

 may be either light or dark; black mane and tail; black 

 points; usually a small white spot between the "bulbs" 

 of one or more of the heels; size, sixteen to seventeen 

 hands; weight, 1,100 to 1,300 pounds. Head symmetrical, 

 with kindly expression and intelligent cast of face; neck 

 long and arched and well set on sloping shoulders. 

 Back usually of good length and form; legs clean, of 

 good length and symmetrically set on the body; feet 

 and lower part of legs dark -colored, and ietlocks free 

 from long hair. Sometimes the Cleveland is too light 

 in weight for high -class coachers. 



A printed description of a horse never fully satisfies 

 the young, progressive horseman, although it may serve 

 to assist the beginner in distinguishing one breed from 

 another which is similar. A horse may fill the above 

 description fairly well and yet be so deficient in action 

 and courage and so unresponsive to the rein that all 

 his other qualities fail to redeem him from the common 

 herd. He is simply an unresponsive beauty. The 

 moving, living horse must be studied before an accurate 



