86 THE HORSE. 



backwards below, there will be too much weight in 

 front of it, and the horse will be liable to fall. If, on 

 the contrary, the foot is pointed far forwards, too much 

 stress will be thrown on the back-sinews, and the ac- 

 tion of the animal will be materially impeded ; besides, 

 this state of matters is sometimes indicative of disease 

 in the feet. The leg should drop perfectly straight 

 from its junction with the shoulder to the ground ; and 

 the point of the toe should come as near as possible to 

 a straight line under the point of the shoulder. 



The elbow can easily be felt at the uj^per and back 

 part of the ai-m. Its direction must be attentively ex- 

 amined, as it is an important point. It should neither 

 be out nor in. When turned in towards the ribs, it 

 will mb against the gu'ths of the saddle or harness, 

 and thus become the seat of a troublesome and annoy- 

 ing sore. The inward direction of the elbow is also 

 accompanied by an awkward knee-action, and the toe 

 is invariably tm-ned out. It is a very common thing 

 for horses with this fonnation to strike the toe against 

 the opposite pastern. They are then called bmshers. 

 If they should happen to go free from brushing, how- 

 ever, they are generally very safe to ride or drive. 

 When the elbow is turned out, the toe is turned in, 

 which is a very great fault — decidedly much gi'eater 

 than the reverse — as the horse is not usually safe to 

 ride, nor is he possessed of speed. I once had the 

 fastest trotting horse I ever saw ; he was also remark- 



