56 THE HORSE 



found to be much too " soft." Zebra hybrids, of 

 which at one time such great things were ex- 

 pected, have also proved to be unfitted for very 

 hard work, and there can be no doubt that the 

 wild horses, originally domesticated by om' re- 

 mote ancestors, were as little adapted for hard 

 labor as their wild relatives are at the present 

 day. A comparison of the hocks of the wild and 

 tame Equidse will reveal the differences brought 

 about by artificial selection. 



Yeteeinary Examination 

 If the prospective buyer has submitted a horse 

 to a veterinary examination and it is passed as 

 sound, he usually considers that he has done all 

 that is necessary, and is bound to have a good 

 animal. It must be pointed out, however, that a 

 certificate of soundness is far from representing an 

 animal's true worth. Presuming that the veteri- 

 nary surgeon is well up in his duties, and is also a 

 good judge of a horse — two qualifications not 

 always obtainable in every country practitioner — 

 it is yet only his duty to say whether or not a 

 horse is sound at the time it comes under his 

 notice. This is what he is paid to do, and a 

 veterinary surgeon would be exceeding his duties, 



