ii6 Our Noblest Friend, The Horse 



like a big chunk of India-rubber : elastic, healthy, 

 and free from smell ; it cannot be too large nor too 

 long. Be sure that the horse stands square on his 

 fore legs and on his pasterns; that his toes turn 

 neither out nor in; that his leg as he walks and 

 trots swings straight, true, and free. If the elbow 

 turns out the toes generally turn in, and vice versa. 

 The knee should never incline backward (the " calf " 

 knee), nor be round and protruding (the "buck" 

 knee), nor should it cut in at a sharp angle where 

 the back tendon joins it. 



Hear Doctor Carson again upon these matters : 

 " Any person may see that safety to the horse's 

 knees depends chiefly on the slant of the shoulder 

 and pastern, together with the method in which the 

 foot is brought to the ground. I look upon high- 

 lifting as a very great fault. It is the laying doimi 

 of the foot which renders the animal safe. Of course 

 the foot should be raised high enough to prevent the 

 toe from coming into contact with the ground; but 

 this is very different from what is called high action. 

 The medium course is the only safe one. If the horse 



