288 FARM MOTORS 



development of breed in horses. The result is a great 

 improvement in strength, speed, and beauty. But while 

 attention has been turned to developing horses capable 

 of doing better work, few have tried to improve the con- 

 ditions under which they labor. 



That the methods are often unscientific can be pointed 

 out. In England, T. H. Brigg, who has made a study of 

 the horse as a motor, and to whom we must give credit 

 for the preceding thought, states that the horse often 

 labors under conditions where 50 per cent of his energy is 

 lost. It is a very strange thing that men have not studied 

 this thing more, in order that people might have a better 

 understanding of the conditions under which a horse 

 is required to labor. 



The amount of resistance which a horse can overcome 

 depends on the following conditions : First, his own 

 weight; second, his grip; third, his height and length; 

 fourth, direction of trace ; and fifth, muscular develop- 

 ment. These will be taken up in the above order. 



405. Weight. The heavier the horse, the more ad- 

 hesion he has to the ground. The tendency is to lift the 

 forefeet of the horse from the ground when he is pulling, 

 and thus a heavier horse is able to use his weight to good 

 advantage. It is to be noted that often a horse is able 

 to pull a greater load for a short time when he has upon 

 his back one or even two men. Experienced teamsters 

 have been known to make use of this method in getting 

 out of tight places with their loads. 



406. Grip. That the weight adds to the horse's grip 

 is self-evident, but cohesion is not the same thing as grip. 

 Grip is the hold the horse is able to get upon the road 

 surface. It is plain that a horse cannot pull as much 

 while standing on ice as on solid ground unless his grip 

 is increased by sharp calks upon his shoes. A difference is 



