472 



Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



to hock action; the hock joints must be broad, deep from front to back, 

 clean in outhne, and covered with thin skin. 



The cannons, fetlocks, pasterns, and feet demand special examina- 

 tion. The so-called "clean" legs are indispensable, and every horse- 

 man knows the meaning of this term. Associated with cleanness must 

 be considerable substance. The fetlocks must be capable of full flexion. 

 The ideal pastern is one with a moderate degree of slope, broad in 

 front, deep from front to back, and well rounded at the sides. It 

 should be covered with thin skin. Pasterns that are too long, too 

 oblique, or light in the bone, are of bad conformation; and short, up- 

 right pasterns are extremely objectionable for very evident reasons. 



Fig. 180. — A hunt team and pack of fox hounds. 



The feet must be concave on their lower surface, proportionate in size, 

 of good shape, well open at the heels, neither contracted nor cracked. 



Color. — In selecting a hunter, color seldom plays any part, and 

 in the hunting field are horses of almost every color. Bay, brown, 

 light or dark chestnut, and gray are the principal colors, more especially 

 bay and brown, with either white or black points. 



Disposition is of great importance in order to insure the safety of 

 other horses, the hounds, and the rider. Some hunters are tremendous 

 pullers, in fact, defy all attempts to hold them. There is great differ- 

 ence in temperament and disposition; one hunter will rush at his fences 

 in a reckless and headstrong way, and another will even walk to his 



