358 THE HORSE 



substance required to carry an armed man. He must have a fair 

 shoulder and a good back, be deep through the heart and stand 

 squarely on good legs well furnished with bone. In height he may 

 be from 14.1 to 15.1, but 14.3 is the favorite standard with 

 Lt.-Col. Dent. Strength is the great desideratum, but a reason- 

 able amount of activity is indispensable. 



The little horse "Hero" which took first prize in Toronto, stood 

 15.1, measured 7% inches below the knee and 19% around the 

 arm; from crest to withers he was 34 inches, withers to croup 27 

 inches, croup to tail 15 inches. He girthed 73 inches and, as the 

 measurements show, was an excellent type of the weight-carrying 

 cob. Such horses can be obtained by a stout thoroughbred sire 

 from French Canadian or other strong pony mares, or by the 

 judicious use of the hackney horse on the smaller roadsters and 

 on those little mares too common in Canada, resulting from the 

 ill-advised use of the racing or rather sprinting type of thorough- 

 bred on light mares of trotting blood or other mixed breeding. 



GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 



In time of peace no horses are bought at less than four nor 

 more than seven years old. 



As regards color, bays, browns, chestnuts and blacks are 

 preferred; a few grays are required for special corps, but odd- 

 colored horses are not wanted. 



No unsound or seriously blemished horse will be taken; the 

 veterinary examination is fairly strict but is also strictly fair. 

 Undocked horses are preferred, and no horse with a very short 

 docked tail will be taken. 



In time of war, however, when the demand, as a rule, exceeds 

 the available supply, purchasing officers overlook many minor 

 defects, provided the animals offered are sound and serviceable, 

 while conforming generally to the requirements of the service. 



