250 THE 1I0IISE-KEEPER*S GUIDE. 



parallel with each other, and pointing straight to the front, 

 The foot should be nearly round, smooth, and of a dark 

 colour, without any signs of brittleness ; wide at the heels; 

 tlie sole concave, with a large and sound frog, and the bars 

 or intiections of the tvall distinct. The wall of a perfect 

 foot is cylindrical, the posterior part having the same slope 

 as the front. 



The inclination in a sound foot is about forty-five degi'ees, 

 highest at the toe, but regularly declining in height towards 

 the quarters : when it is much more oblique, it indicates 

 weakness; the horn of the wall will then be found so thin 

 as hardly to bear the nails, the heels low, the sole flat, and 

 the bars small in size ; such feet cannot stand work, are 

 subject to corns, strains of the fetlock, and are liable to be 

 pricked in shoeing, and if attacked with founder are irre- 

 parably injured. Whoever buys a horse with such feet, 

 will sooner or later have cause to lament his bargain. If 

 it is more upright, the sole will be thick and concave : and 

 if the wall is high and deep at the heels, (if not the result 

 of bad shoeing, which is easily ascertained by the action,) 

 such feet are liable to contraction, gi'ogginess, sand- 

 crack, &c. 



The chest. Upon the form of the chest depends the 

 value of the animal ; without plenty of room for those im- 

 portant organs, the lungs, there can be little speed, and less 

 endurance. And the external indication of the "^ize of the 

 lungs, is the form and size of the chest. 



The capacity of the chest depends more on the form 

 than the circumference, for where the girth is equal in two 

 animals, one may have much larger lungs than the other. 



Narrow-chested horses can stand no fatigue, have sel- 

 dom good digestion, are difficulty to keep in condition, and 

 are purged by the slightest thing, a draught of water or a 

 brushing gallop. They are usually light in the carcase, and 

 lono- in the lege, and in the language of the stable " have 

 too much day light under them." 



Round-chested horses are generally slow, strong, and 

 easily kept in condition ; but they are apt to accumulate 

 flesh, and are easily blown, and, from the circular form oi 

 their chests, are unable to enlarge its capacity when in- 

 creased circulation ipqaires it. But for speed and endu- 

 rance, the most desirable form of the chest is that it be deep, 

 •ind barrel out behind the elbow ; it cannot be too deep in 



