Horses and Horsemastership, n 



susceptible to excessive concussion, and the latter to 

 strain. Viewed from behind, the hocks should be 

 turned neither inwards nor outwards; but if forced to 

 make a choice between the two, I would prefer a horse 

 slightly " cow hocked" to one with his hocks turned out. 

 The foot will be dealt with in the next chapter. 



With regard to faults, the reverse of any good points 

 are in varying degrees objectionable; but in selecting 

 troop horses, "brushing" (i.e., going too close either in 

 front or behind), feet turned in or out, speedy cutting, 

 over-reaching, and all defects of gait are most important 

 faults. 



A hollow or long back, a narrow chest, a short neck, 

 a clumsy head, legginess, lack of bone, unintelligent 

 expression, imperfect eyesight or wind, &c., have all to 

 be taken into account. 



The proper way to proceed to sum up a horse is to 

 look for the bad points and defects. The good points 

 and qualities can be far more easily found. 



