798 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. 



White-feet. White-feet consist of white marks on the inferior 

 part of the members. They are very common and are seen in nearly 

 all the coats, even the gray, where they are, however, less striking. 



They must be examined in relation to their number, their extent, 

 their form, and their composition. 



a. In relation to their number, the horse may have 



One white-foot, and then the member which is involved should 

 be mentioned. 



Example : white-foot, anterior left. 



Two white-feet, in which case they are necessarily anterior, pos- 

 terior, lateral, or diagonal. 



Examples : white- feet right lateral biped, left diagonal biped, etc. 



Three white-feet. Here it will suffice to specify the one which 

 is isolated. Example : three white-feet, posterior left. This signifies 

 that the right posterior alone is not white. 



Four white-feet. This needs no further explanation. It suffices 

 to mention the character of these markings. 



Old veterinarians named arzel the subject whose posterior right 

 foot alone was white. The legend narrates that such a marking was 

 considered as a very bad omen. In support of this, it is related * that 

 the mount of a certain Sejanus, a Roman consul and favorite of Tibe- 

 rius, was thus marked, and as this horse killed in succession each of 

 its five owners, it became the fashion to say of a man who seemed 

 threatened with an unfortunate end, " He has the horse of Sejanus." 2 



Let us add that horse-dealers also call magpie the bay horse with 

 four white feet. They also give the same name to pied horses. 



b. In relation to its extent, the white-foot is designated 

 Incomplete, if it does not completely circumscribe the member. 

 Interrupted, if its course is broken by black or colored hairs, or 



if it is not continued to the extremity of the member. 



Trace of white-foot, when it occupies only a small portion of 

 the coronet. 



Beginning of white-foot, when it only involves the region of 

 the coronet, which it completely surrounds. 



Small white-foot, when it surrounds the coronet and the pastern. 



White-foot, when it extends to the fetlock. 



1 De Lafont-Pouloti, Nouveau regime pour les haras, p. 23, Paris. 1787 



2 See, for more details, Solleysel, Le parfait mareschal, Paris, 1693, t. ii. p. 129. 



