28 JUDGING LIGHT HORSES 



easier keepers. It should be noted that the round ribbed 

 horse always has the appearance of being inordinately long 

 in the legs. This deception is due to the roundness of the 

 body. It can easily be seen that from a side view the flat 

 ribbed horse presents a body of deeper appearance and seem- 

 ingly has shorter legs than the horse that is rounder ribbed. 



43. Back — Strong, Short, Muscled. In its proportion the 

 body should be short above and long underneath. This not 

 only adds to its strength, but it gives the legs free play and 

 insures a balanced stride. The horse of this conformation 

 under the saddle will unite himself more quickly and better, 

 while the same horse on the line, or in harness will have ■ 

 a freer and more balanced stride. It is the opinion of 

 many that the roach back is an evidence of strength. It is 

 the most undesirable feature in a horse for the saddle, and 

 it is to say the least, an eyesore in road or in carriage horses. 



44. Loin — Short, Broad, Muscled. It is a defect of many 

 horses to be light and narrow at the juncture of the body 

 and the hind quarter. If the loin is long or slack, that is, 

 if the distance is great between the last rib and the hip bone, 

 the horse is likely to be weak in the coupling and deficient 

 in action, and when this is viewed from the side, it will be 

 noticed that the hind foot fails to reach the point where the 

 front foot left the ground. This probably is due more to 

 lack of muscle over the loin than to any other defect. 



45. Croup — Long, Muscular. The part included in the 

 hind quarters should be critically examined, for, as it has 

 been previously explained. It is in this region that the pro- 

 pelling power resides. The haunch or croup should be long 

 and on account of the improved appearance it should be 

 comparatively straight. When the croup is long, it allows 

 a greater play of the main muscles that are located in this 

 region. It will be noticed in nearly all fast trotters that the 

 croup generally has this characteristic. Length of muscle 

 Tiprp as (^Isewhere contributes to speed. 



