438 Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



The knee must be broad from every point of view, and must be 

 deep from top to bottom. This provides a large joint, indicating 

 strength. The knee must also be straight, so as to set the leg straight 

 below the body. There must be no meatiness about the knee or any 

 of the joints or parts below, for, as has been stated, all muscles end 

 above the knee and are attached to the parts below by tendons. Meati- 

 ness about the knee interferes with the working of the tendons, and 

 lessens the free and easy flexion of the joints. Hence the knee should 

 be clean, flat across the front, and well defined. This is essential. 



The cannons should be short and clean, with the tendons large 

 and set well back from the bone. As viewed from the side, there 

 should be good width, and the cannon should be flat instead of round. 

 As one passes the hand along the cannon bone, it should feel smooth, 

 hard, and dense. The skin and hair covering it should be fine. Be- 

 tween the bone and the tendons there should be well-marked depres- 

 sions or grooves. Meatiness about the cannons is as objectionable as 

 it is about the joints, and for similar reasons. The cannons furnish 

 one of the best means of determining quality. Clean, flat, smooth 

 cannons have bone that is composed of fine cells, and that is flinty in 

 character. Coarse, rough bone is made up of large cells, and is porous 

 and spongy. Too much refinement of bone is often found in the draft 

 horse. On the other hand, large bone is frequently found which is 

 very lacking in quality. There should be a combination of substance 

 with quality. It is possible to make up in quality a certain lack of 

 substance, but not the contrary. 



The fetlock joint should be wide from front to back, clean, and 

 well defined. 



The pasterns should be oblique to relieve concussion, and should 

 show reasonable length. A slope of about 45 degrees is desired. 

 More slope than this tends toward weakness. The pasterns should 

 show plenty of substance, yet be clean, and should spread out or 

 expand at the lower end into wide, round, open hoof-heads or coronets. 



Feet. — The old saying, "No foot, no horse," is full of truth. A 

 draft horse of excellence in all respects except feet is as worthless as a 

 fine building on a flimsy foundation. When it is considered to what 

 great stress the foot of the draft horse is subjected, the wonder is that 

 feet last as long as they do on hard pavements. Driven against cobble- 

 stones and brick by the great weight of the body above, the fore feet 

 undergo repeated shocks which soon batter to pieces feet that are defec- 

 tive. The foot should be large, to afford a large bearing surface. 

 When viewed from front or side, the axis of the foot should coincide 

 with the axis of the pastern. The hoof should appear dense, waxy, 

 and smooth, indicating toughness and durability. The form of the 



