64 The Hokse Industry in New Yokk State 



LEGS 



It is hardly necessary to mention legs, those necessary auxiliaries 

 of a horse. Plenty of bone and especially large knee and hock 

 joints are most desirable. Pasterns on the long side for choice, 

 and plenty of room between elbow-joint and body, are desirable. 

 Do not be over particular about splints or even curbs. The former 

 are found on three- and four-year-olds more often than in horses 

 of six and seven years. They usually disappear by absoi-ption. 

 That a young horse has them is as much to his credit as it is for 

 a child to have the measles or chicken-pox. 



Splints, and curbs too, lame horses sometimes when they first 

 appear. Do not condemn a horse with sickle hocks if there is 

 plenty of bone. They are very often found on the most powerful 

 jumpers. 



BACK 



Do not require a hunter to be too short-coupled. This is 

 another threadbare sign that is ahvays quoted as desirable. If a 

 horse is to gallop he must have length somewhere. If he has a 

 short top line or coupling, he must have length underneath or he 

 cannot stride away. There must be room to get the stifles forward, 

 or you will have a short choppy-gaited horse, and a most uncom- 

 fortable one. The short back is w^ell enough theoretically, but 

 not in practice. Three and even four inches between the last rib 

 and hip are not too much, unless the horse has a weak loin. A 

 light, slack loin is to be avoided in a horse, whether his back be 

 long or short. 



PROPORTIONS 



A horse is usually as long in the body as he is high from the 

 ground to the top . of the withers. In many Standardbred trotters 

 and in some Thoroughbi-eds length exceeds height. This propor- 

 tion is- also desirable in a hunter. 



A well-formed horse usually measures as far from the top of 

 the withers to the under side of the body just back of the fore 

 legs as he does from that point to the ground. If there is any 

 difference in this measurement, let it be added to the body, not 

 to the legs. A sixteen-and-one body, both in height and length, 

 on fifteen-three legs is far preferable to the reverse. 



