164 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



defects will prevent tlie free, movement of the humerus, and 

 almost compel the lior^e cither to interfere, or to strike the in- 

 side of the shank, or knee. 



The roadster should have a light, elastic step, rather short 

 and quick and barely liigh enough to clear the inequalities of 

 the road, as higher stepping horses waste much power and are 

 more severely jarred when driven fast. He should pick up his 

 feet nimbly, and move them as if he had them perfectly at his 

 command, and should put them down at the right time and in 

 a proper manner, neither holding them awkwardly poised in the 

 air after the leg is fully extended, nor plunging his toes into 

 the ground before he has reached forward a suitable distance. 



It is much more desirable that the roadster, for general use, 

 be able to travel ten or twelve miles an houi' for two or three 

 hours in succession, if necessary, than that he be capable of 

 trotting a mile inside of three minutes. Very few of the fast- 

 est horses have a first-rate road gait, although the two qualities 

 are not incompatible. It is unquestionably true, also, that 

 horses with the best form and temperament for the highest 

 flight of speed, especially in running, rarely possess the com- 

 pact, substantial structure, or the calm, manageable, yet am- 

 bitious spirit essential to the model roadster. The impatient, 

 reckless, headstrong disposition of the successful racer, even 

 with the best management, which is always indispensable, is 

 very liable to bring disaster upon botli horse and driver when 

 subjected to the severe trials of ordinary road service. 



The skin of a well-bred horse will be thin and soft, and of a 

 dark color ; and the veins beneath it large and prominent, indi- 

 cating a well-developed, circulatory system. In regard to the color 

 of the hair the best and only universally applicable rule is, that 

 " a good horse is always of a good color." Although color does 

 not, necessarily, affect tlie usefulness of a horse, yet it does 

 affect his appearance, so that a fashionable color greatly en- 

 hances his value. Color is, also, oftentimes the most obvious, 

 .though not tliG most reliable, proof of the pedigree of a horse. 



It is well known that children of parents with dark hair and 

 eyes sometimes liave light, or sandy hair and blue eyes, and it 

 is generally found that this peculiarity is derived from some 

 ancestor two or three generations back. In the same way, 

 horses may take their color from a grand-sire, or grand-dam, 



