ATTITUDES. 



465 



ANTERIOR MEMBER Continued. 



Member viewed in Front. 



REGULAR AXES. 



IRREGULAR AXES. 



DISADVANTAGES. 



A vertical line drawn 

 from the point of the 

 shoulder should divide 

 equally the knee, the 

 canon, and the foot, 

 and leave between the 

 two feet an interval 

 equal to the width of 

 the hoof, taken from 

 one quarter to the 

 other. 



f If the member, as a whole, 

 is situated outside of this 

 line, or if the interval be- 

 tween the hoofs is too great, 

 the horse is too open. 



If the knee be deviated 

 outward the horse is said to 

 be bow-legged. 



If it be the toe alone, the 

 subject is crooked-legged. 



Conversely : 



When the member, as a 

 whole, is situated inside of 

 the vertical line, or when 

 the interval between the two 

 hoofs is too small, the horse 

 is close or narrow. 



If it is the region of the 

 knee alone, the latter is 

 called an ox's knee. 



Finally, if it is that of the 

 toe, the horse becomes cross- 

 L fooled, parrot-toed. 



f Stability of equilibrium ; slow and 

 ungraceful gait; rocking; standing 

 upon internal quarter. Sometimes, in- 

 dicative of the volume of the muscles 

 and of the width of the thorax ; at 

 other times, indicative of- opposite 

 characters. 



Strain upon the external ligaments 

 of the knee; surcharging of the inter- 

 nal part; inward deviation of the 

 hoof; ungraceful, slow gait, and inse- 

 [ cure foothold. 



f Chest often narrow ; elbows close to 

 body; standing upon internal quarter; 

 slow and ungraceful gait. The horse 

 stumbles and interferes with the heel 

 of the shoe. 



f Diminution of the base of support; 

 instability of the equilibrium ; predis- 

 position to calking. Frequent indica- 

 tions of a want of endurance, defective 

 development of the breast, narrowness 

 of the chest, and feeble volume of the 

 muscles. 



(Loss of firmness of the step and of 

 speed; strain on the internal ligaments 

 of the knee ; overburdening and wear 

 of the external parts ; outward devia- 

 tion of the foot; ungraceful gaits. 



( Standing upon the external quarter; 

 elbows separated; overburdening of 

 the phalanges and the external side 

 of the articulations; ungraceful move- 

 ments of the canon ; slow gaits ; the 

 horse stumbles and interferes with the 

 internal mamma. 



POSTERIOR MEMBER. 



Member viewed in Profile. 



A vertical line inter- 

 secting the middle of 

 the leg should pass, 

 above, through the 

 coxo-femoral articula- 

 tion, cross, below, the 

 middle of the hoof, 

 and remain equidis- 

 tant from the vertical 

 lines drawn from the 

 stifle and the angle of 

 the buttock, the latter 

 being tangent to the 

 point of the hock and 

 to the fetlock. 



If the member, as a whole, 



Shortening of the base of support ; 

 crooked hocks; predisposition to slip- 

 ping forward ; fatigue of the extensor 



is placed in advance of this ! muscles, the ligaments, and the ten- 

 line, the horse is under him- ] dons; surcharging of the posterior 



self. 



If, on the contrary, it is 

 placed behind this line, the 

 animal is camped. 



If only the parts below the 

 fetlock are deviated, so as to 

 carry the middle of the foot 

 in advance of this line, the 

 horse is long- or low-jointed. 



If, in the same conditions, 

 the middle of the hoof is 

 placed behind this line, the 

 horse is short- or straight- 

 jointed. 



w gaits; premature hlem- 

 d of the fetlocks ; 



niembers; si 

 I ishes of the hocks an 

 (. forging. 



Lengthening of the base of support ; 

 tendency to slip backward ; sur- 

 charging of the fore-limbs: strain on 

 the back and loins; sway-back ; feeble 

 impulsion; slow gaits. 



Same evil consequences as in the an- 

 terior member ; predisposition to wind- 

 galls. 



Same, but less serious, consequences 

 s in the anterior member. 



