14 A COUNTRY READER. 



therefore is neither useful nor beautiful. But 

 the moderately high action that throws the fore- 

 legs well to the front carries the horse over the 

 ground at a good pace, and by lessening the con- 

 cussion of the ground, enables a horse to last 

 long and do much work. 



If you notice a carriage horse going up a hill, 

 you will see that almost all the power that he 

 uses to drag up his load falls on the hind legs 

 and hocks, so you can at once understand how 

 necessary it is that the quarters should be strong 

 and muscular, and the hocks clean and without 

 blemish. Watch the riding horse's pastern 

 move, as he walks by your side, and when a 

 carriage horse with his stout courage is doing 

 his very best to drag a heavy load up a hill. 

 Watch in both cases the hocks and hind legs do 

 their work, and if you care for a horse, and can 

 admire the beautiful in form and action of the 

 animals around you, you will reverence and 

 wonder at what you see there. 



As the carriage horse has not to carry a 

 weight on his back, but to drag a weight behind 

 him, his shoulders ought to be more upright, not 

 so sloping as the riding horse ; this enables the 

 collar to fit the neck better, and so gives him 

 more power to drag his load. 



As horses have been bred for the purpose of 

 galloping fast, so horses have been bred for 



