of tJie Horse. 5 



The highest part of the hind leg, which is detached from 

 the body, is called the thigh, or gaskins (m'), and corre- 

 sponds to the leg of a man. It extends from the stifle and 

 lower part of the buttocks down to the hock (</). 



The hock or tarsus is the first joint below the thigh. 

 It comprises the so-called instep and heel in man. In 

 the latter it is more concerned in weight-bearing than 

 progression, as in the horse. 



Below the hock are the shank, the fetlock-joint, the 

 pastern, and the foot, just the same as in the fore-legs. 



We will now say a few words as to the diversity of 

 colour in the coat of the horse, in order to fix the mean- 

 ing of the terms which are generally employed to desig- 

 nate the various hues which the coat presents. 



Bay is a reddish nut-brown colour, with various shades. 

 Dark bay horses are of a very dark brown, almost black, 

 except on the flanks and tip of the nose, where they are 

 of a reddish colour. The golden, or light bay, is a yellow 

 sun-light hue. Dappled bay horses have on their rumps 

 spots of a darker bay than on the rest of their bodies. In 

 bay horses the extremities, the mane, and the tail are 

 always black. 



There are three kinds of. black horses : the rusty black, 

 which is of a brownish tinge, more or less conspicuous in 

 various lights ; the black, and the coal-black, which is the 

 darkest of all. 



Dun-coloured horses, of which there are several shades, 

 are of a yellowish-sandy hue ; the mane and tail of these 

 are either white or black. Some of the latter have a black 

 line along the vertebra, which is called a mule's, or eel-stripe. 



Chestnut is a kind of reddish or cinnamon-coloured bay. 

 There are several shades of it, among which are the bright 

 chestnut, which is the colour of a red cow's coat ; the com- 

 mon chestnut, which is neither dark nor bright ; the bay 

 chestnut, which verges upon the red ; the burnt chestnut, 

 which is dark, and nearly approaches black. Some chest- 

 nut horses have white manes and tails, others black. The 

 roan is a mixture of red and white. 



Grey horses have white hair mixed with black or bay. 

 There are several modifications of this colour; the dappled- 



