STRUCTURAL EXAMINATION 25 



flexing the leg, are located between the elbow and the knee. 

 If this region is long, the muscle must necessarily be long 

 and that produces quick and easy action. The muscle of the 

 fore arm flexes and extends the rest of the leg, and in order 

 that these motions may take place with the least expenditure 

 of power the course over which it must travel must be as 

 short as possible; that is, the cannon running from the knee 

 to the fetlock should be much shorter than from the knee to 

 the elbow. 



Mr. H. T. Helm has made a careful study of the effect 

 that the proportions of these parts to each other have upon the 

 horse's action. He has measured a great many horses and 

 finds that their action in the fore legs seems to be governed by 

 the proportionate length of the fore arm and the cannon. He 

 found that Administrator has superior action in front, and 

 that his cannon was 1 1 ^ inches long, and the fore arm 2 1 

 inches long. About the same proportions were found to 

 exist in the fore legs of George Wilkes, and there was no lack 

 of knee action in his movement. The actual proportions 

 were io}4 to 20 inches. In Governor Sprague the cannon 

 was II inches and the fore arm 21 inches, and here the front 

 action was not quite as rounding as that of George Wilkes. 

 In the instance of St. Lawrence, the proportions were iij^ 

 to 2 1 inches and the action was noted to be far reaching and 

 gently curving. It will be easily understood that the strain 

 upon the knees would be greater in those horses that were 

 long in the cannons in comparison with the length of the 

 fore arm, and it will usually be found that such a conforma- 

 tion predisposes a horse to weak knees. On the other hand 

 when the fore arm is inordinantely long the tendency is for 

 the front legs to bend back at the knees and give rise to what 

 is commonly termed calf knees. 



35. Arms — Short, Thrown Forward. The humerus which 

 forms the arm should be i-.hort and appear comparatively 



