12 THE HORSE 



horse (Plate II. Fig. 13), and the ammal wiU be 

 handier and pleasant er to diive than one which is 

 clumsily or a^Ykwardly made. As one of the most 

 important muscles which di^aws the shoulder for- 

 ward runs U23 the neck and is attached to the top 

 of the head, length of neck and good carriage of 

 head mean greater power of this muscle, and hence 

 better action. A big crest is simply an accumula- 

 tion of fat on the upper part of the neck, and is 

 chiefly an indication of fatness and not of good 

 conformation. As it makes the hoi^e heavier in 

 front, i. e., puts more weight on the fore legs, it is 

 an undesh^able f eatm^e. The best class of neck for 

 a harness horse in one of medium length, sHghtly 

 arched (Plate II. Fig. 1 3), and with weU-developed 

 muscles. A very short thick neck, which is 

 usually accompanied by straight shoulders, is a 

 form of conformation which, by reason of the un- 

 due amount of weight it thi^ows forward, makes a 

 horse extremely likely to overbalance and fall 

 down. A horse with a " ewe " neck is often also 

 a " star gazer " (Plate 11. Fig. 9), and extremely 

 unpleasant either to ride or drive, as not only is 

 he liable to get the bit off the bars and into the 

 corners of his mouth, but his carriage of head 

 prevents him from seeing where he is stepping. 



