Types and Breeds of Horses 209 



horses put their hind foot on the ground in front of the 

 mark left by the fore foot, and the faster they go the 

 greater will be the distance between the marks made 

 by the fore and the hind feet. This shows that the 

 length of a step is determined by the hind-quarters; 

 it also explains the need of large, strong hocks, and legs 

 that are not so crooked as to seem weak, or so straight 

 as to lessen the leverage afforded by this very wonder- 

 ful arrangement of the parts. 



282. Body Form. Then there are some other things 

 that are desired in all kinds of horses. One of these is 

 a short back, that is, short from the hips to the top of 

 the shoulders (the withers). From what we have learned 

 of the hind parts we know that the horse is really push- 

 ing the rest of his body along. If the back is short and 

 strong, instead of long and weak, the whole body will 

 move more easily and rapidly in obedience to the force 

 produced in the hind parts. 



283. The Fore-legs. Although the hind parts have 

 most to do with the horse's traveling, we must not forget 

 that the front parts are also very important. No matter 

 how much muscle a horse has, or how strong his hocks 

 are, if there is anything seriously wrong with his front 

 legs, he cannot travel, and so derives no benefit from his 

 good parts. Some horses may be seen whose knees are 

 not straight, others, when looked at from in front, show 

 that their feet are not in line with their legs. Such 

 animals are more likely to strike one leg with the oppo- 

 site foot, thus making themselves lame and unable to 

 do any work. 



284. Horses' Feet. There are a great many interest- 

 ing things about a horse which cannot be told here, 

 but which you may learn at home, or from some neighbor 



