416 Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



more nearly will this line approach the horizontal. As a horse has to 

 raise himself vertically with each bound, it is naturally a matter of 

 very great importance whether he has to lift a dead weight or a weight 

 which throws forward. A jockey on the horse's neck adds to the for- 

 ward weight, and this moves the center of weight still farther forward 

 and places still more weight on the fore legs and equally less on the hind 

 legs. The longer the angle of thrust, the easier and therefore the faster 

 the horse will go, for his power will then be utilized almost exclusively 

 in a horizontal thrust resulting in speed, and little of his energy will be 

 consumed in simply raising weight to let it fall again. It is the same 

 as a man pushing a wheelbarrow; if the load is near the handles it must 

 be raised at each step, while if the load is over or near the wheel the 

 man does not expend so much energy in a lift at each step, but can use 

 all his force at pushing straight ahead. 



Where the wear comes. — From what has been said concerning 

 the function of the fore legs in supporting most of the horse's weight, 

 we can readily understand that the horse is more apt to tire, exhaust, 

 and ruin his fore legs than his hind ones. It is common to see men 

 driving their horses at speed when going down hill, thinking that the 

 horse is doing little or nothing because the vehicle follows without 

 having to be pulled. This is a decided error, for in going down hill 

 still more weight is thrown on the fore legs, and if the animal is made 

 to descend at speed he hammers his fore legs severely, and often 

 stumbles and falls. Because of the hammering to which the fore legs 

 and feet of the horse are subjected, and because of the great strain 

 coming upon the hock joint due to its prominent part in propulsion, 

 the feet and legs constitute a most vital part in every type of horse, 

 and special attention should be given to front feet, front pasterns, the 

 hocks, and the set or position of the hind legs when judging. 



Phases of the stride. — Dr. Carl W. Gay, of Ohio State University, 

 describes five distinct phases of the horse's stride, as follows:^ 1. A 

 preliminary, during which the leg is undergoing flexion before the foot 

 has left the ground. 2. The breaking over, in which the foot is raised 

 heel first and is rocked up and over at the toe. 3. Flight, during 

 which the foot describes the more or less regular arc of a circle. 4. 

 Contact, as the foot again meets the ground. 5. Recovery, as the 

 weight falls on the foot preparatory to another stride. 



Hoof mechanism. — When the foot makes contact with the ground, 

 expansion occurs, especially at the heels. When the foot is raised 

 there is contraction. The plantar cushion, being soft, transmits force 

 or motion in all directions more or less equally (as a liquid). It can- 

 not move downward to any great degree, hence it spreads or diffuses 



•Productive Horse Husbandry, p. 5. 



