114 ^ur Noblest Friend, The Horse 



to nothing, lacking that ability to perform which 

 sound heart and big lungs insure. 



The shoulder should be oblique, the withers high, 

 bony, and prominent, not low, thick, and " meaty." 

 The first shape insures sure-footedness in a great 

 degree, because it affords room for the oblique and 

 well-placed shoulder to play cleanly and to act 

 promptly, providing free and bold methods of pro- 

 gression. Especially are such withers necessary for 

 saddle work — for the lady's saddle-horse vitally 

 important, as safeguarding the saddle and prevent- 

 ing it from turning. Be sure, however, that the 

 strong, broad, able look of the shoulder is a matter 

 of compact muscle, and not loosely-set shoulder- 

 blades. If investigation, then, by the finger-tips 

 proves the upper point to lie close into the spinal 

 column and ribs, the formation is all that could be 

 asked. 



The arm (upper fore leg) should be muscular, and 

 set "thickly" into the shoulder; the elbow large, 

 not turned in nor out, but boldly square. The 

 cannon-bone (shin or lower fore leg) should be flat, 



