Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 433 



of meal across a horse's back, or get upon a horse himself, in case the 

 coach got into a place where a hard pull was necessary. By so doing, 

 his team was often able to start the load without other assistance. 

 The added weight produced more adhesion between the feet and the 

 ground, thus enabling the animal to exert all his strength at a pull, 

 instead of uselessly "scratching gravel" when trying to start. 



Standing on a hard surface, a man of 200 pounds weight can easily 

 outpull a man of 150 pounds in a tug-of-war. If the 150-pound man 

 take another man upon his shoulders and back, however, he can defeat 

 his opponent who outweighs him by 50 pounds. The man on the 

 shoulders of the 150-pound contestant adds nothing to the muscular 

 power at that end of the rope, but rather lessens it; but the added 

 weight and the increase in adhesion permit the full strength of muscles 

 to be more nearly exerted, and the 200-pound man is readily defeated. 



The horse moves a load by (1) simply leaning against the collar, 

 and (2) by muscular strength. Thus weight has a second advantage 

 in that it takes the place of some of the muscular energy, for the 

 weight of a heavy horse more nearly offsets the weight of the load than 

 does the weight of a smaller horse, and every extra pound thrown 

 against the collar means a corresponding reduction in muscular force 

 required in moving the load. Then, too, as a rule, the larger the horse, 

 the stronger he will be. 



To sum up, weight in the draft horse has three values: (1) It 

 gives the feet more adhesion with the pavement or ground, so that the 

 muscular power may be applied to the collar, (2) by offsetting some of 

 the weight of the load, it lessens the amount of muscular exertion re- 

 quired, and (8) as a rule, the heavier the horse, the stronger he will be. 

 Some horses make up for a lack of weight by their superior ambition 

 and courage. 



2. Strength is a matter of muscling. Draft horses must be very 

 muscular throughout, especially in the hindquarters. When judging 

 drafters, fat should not be mistaken for muscle. 



3. Action that is straight and true insures conservation of energy 

 and sure-footedness. The action should also be snappy; this enables 

 the animal to get over the ground rapidly, and shows a willing disposi- 

 tion. Action is also valuable as an index to the way the horse is put 

 together; true action can result only from proper placing of the feet 

 and legs, in fact, from a proper proportionment of all parts, and their 

 proper relation to one another. Correct action, showing trueness, 

 snap, and length of stride, results from a rather rare combination of 

 proper structure, muscling, and temperament. Therefore good action 

 is not only valuable in itself, but is good evidence of merit in the entire 

 make-up of the horse. 



