THE HORSE 23 



TThen looking at a horse, it is advisable to note 

 whether he has plenty of " bone," i. e., that his 

 legs are not too small for his body, or, in another 

 way of putting it, that he is not heavy-topped. A 

 horse can hai-dly have too great a width of leg, 

 provided it feels clean and firm to the touch. 

 Many horses shown in excessively fat condition 

 may appear heavy-topped, particularly stalhons ; 

 but the pm^chaser must not allow himself to be 

 deceived by fat, and must judge of the actual size 

 of the body by the proportion between the size of 

 the head, the shape of the chest, the width of the 

 quarters, etc., and the legs. It may be added that 

 it is almost impossible to fairly judge a very fat 

 horse in some points, such as back ribs, as the ac- 

 cumulation of fat may completely hide the true 

 shape. 



Feet 

 "Without good feet a horse is useless for any 

 purpose. (See Chapter YIII.) Chestnut horses are 

 reputed to have worse feet than horses of any other 

 color ; and it is notorious that the big cart horses 

 err in this respect to a terrible extent. The outer 

 wall of the hoof should be hard and firm and free 

 from ridges, and should not be unduly spread. 



