CHOICE OF THE HORSE. 895 



Then he will order the horse to be taken out of his stall. At once 

 the dealer or the stable-man will take off the blanket, run the brush 

 over the horse's coat, and comb his mane and tail. During these 

 preparations the traditional piece of ginger is introduced into the anus, 

 as has been seen. Then the horse is turned round in his stall, and the 

 strap of the halter is placed in his mouth, or a bridle is put on his 

 head, according to circumstances. The purchaser observes the way in 

 which the animal has turned, if he has backed easily, and what his 

 general attitude was while being groomed. Before taking him out into 

 the yard, an examination must be made of the eyes, the nostrils, the 

 submaxillary glands, the pulse, the age, the mouth, and the poll, the 

 horse being in the door-way. 



b. Examination on the Show- Ground. The show-ground is 

 a flat patch of ground situated in front of a wall painted or papered 

 green in such a way as to show off the animal to the best advantage ; 

 it is usually situated on a higher level than the surrounding parts, in 

 order to give more prominence to the height of the horse. The horse 

 having been led there, the stable-man, standing in front of him, makes 

 him step forward or backward until his fore-feet and hind-feet are 

 respectively on a line with each other ; after which the head is kept in 

 a fixed position. 



The dealer should be told not to place the animal in the camped or 

 stretched-out position, so that his equilibrium, the axis of the members, 

 may be appreciated ; then the animal should be examined as a whole 

 and in detail by successive inspections in profile, on both sides, in 

 front, behind, and obliquely from in front and from behind. This 

 survey should be made at a distance of four or five steps, while walking 

 around the animal slowly, stopping for an instant at each of the points 

 which we have just enumerated. 



In judging of the whole, of the ensemble, we should take into account 

 the general harmony of the great lines, the height, the length, the size, 

 the relative development of the upper and lower parts, that is, of the 

 body and the members ; the equilibrium, the expression of the head, 

 fineness, temperament, race, and breeding should all be studied 



In judging of the details, one should begin with the limbs and end 

 with the trunk. Comparing the horse to a locomotive, M. Sanson 

 says, very appositely, that the former, like the latter, consists of a 

 generator of force and a mechanism which is the machine properly 

 so called. In the first place, then, we should examine the organs of 

 locomotion or of movement, the wheels, the cranks, the rods, and the 

 pistons, then the generator of steam, the boiler, and fireplace. It is 



