Horse Buying and Horse Trying 115 



sharply and cleanly tendoned ; large and flat knee- 

 joint; no soft or "gummy" appearance or feel to 

 any part of its connections, nor of the fetlock-joints. 

 The sinews cordy, thrown well up, and large. The 

 pastern sloping fairly, and not too long — beware 

 the long, slender joint (conspicuously so), or the 

 short upright one; neither wear well as a rule. It 

 must in honesty be allowed, however, that many 

 straight-shouldered, small-boned, " gummy "-legged, 

 bad-pasterned horses work on indefinitely — still, 

 these exceptions have no bearing upon appropriate 

 selection and average results. 



The hoof should measure more in length than 

 in breadth, and should be widest directly through 

 the centre. Never accept the low, meaty heel, espe- 

 cially if the pastern is long and weak. Such com- 

 bination is sure to be faulty ; to resist concussion 

 badly, and to fail somewhere. There should be no 

 rings or protuberances upon the outside surface of 

 the horn, and this should be smooth, black, and 

 /o//o-//-looking. The slant of the natural toe to the 

 ground is about fifty per cent. The frog should be 



