IX] 



SURGICAL DISEASES AND CONFORMATION 



119 



are few and far between. In most large horses 

 the parts do not grow in the right proportions. 



Size in bone is no criterion of strength. For 

 instance, a thoroughbred's bones are much 

 smaller than those of a coarse-bred horse or of 

 a pure-bred Clyde, yet they are stronger because 

 they are made of better material. (See P. 166, 

 1406.) 



A horse must always be examined at the 

 walk and at the trot to ascertain if his action 

 is free and true. The limbs must move freely 

 at every joint, and move forwards and back- 

 wards without describing circles. The amount 

 of action in a horse depends entirely upon the 

 work that is required of him. 



476. STRUCTURAL EXAMINATION (see P. 95-101). 

 The head should be small, fairly long, wide 

 between the eyes and in the jowl (to allow for 

 a large brain and large larynx respectively). A 

 good brain is necessary for energy, pluck, endur- 

 ance and resolution. (See P. 93c, liic, 138a.) 

 Should taper off towards the muzzle, being wide 

 from the eye to the angle of the lower jaw. The 

 nostrils should be large and prominent. These 

 should appear moist without there being any 

 sign of discharge from them. There should not 

 be many hairs inside the nostrils, which en- 

 cumber the free passage of air. The horse 

 breathes entirely through its nostrils in normal 

 health. The line down the front of the face 

 should be straight when viewed from the side. 

 (P. 166, 636 show good heads. Compare these 

 with P. 29a, 47<f.) 



The mouth should be small ; lips small, thin 

 and firm. (See P. 2ia, 636. Compare these with 

 P. 57d.) 



The eyes must be full, clear, large and 

 prominent and mild, with a good brow and fine 

 eyelids. Such an eye indicates a kind, generous 

 disposition and good health. (P. 636, 66a. 

 Compare these with P. 29e, /, 30a.) 



A sunken eye often indicates suspiciousness 

 and perhaps vice. An unduly round eye often 

 indicates short-sightedness and probable shying. 

 Horses which show the white of the eye are 

 often said to be vicious, but, as I know so many 

 horses that show this white which are not 

 vicious, this theory, like so many stablemen's 

 theories, is probably nonsense. 



The ears should be small, thin and well-set 

 on. They should be firm when the horse is at 

 work, and when pointed forward the tips should 

 be closer together than the bases. Lop ears are 

 not necessarily a bad sign, as they are found in 

 all classes of horses, and are often the result of 

 a nervous affection. (P. 686, 113a show good 

 ears; P. 14d, 56c show ears of inferior con- 

 formation.) 



477. The neck should be light, fairly long 

 (especially for saddle work), and taper so that 

 the chief weight is at the shoulders, thus allow- 

 ing the end of the neck to be easily controlled, 



similar to the end of a fishing rod. (P. 68<z. 

 Compare these with P. 29d, /, 37.) The head, 

 must be well set on to the end of the neck ; 

 while the neck is held up normally, the head 

 should be at an angle of about 60 with the 

 ground. (P. 68a, b.) The neck must be well 

 arched, so that the upper edge is longer than the 

 lower ; such is called " long in the rein." The 

 crest must feel firm to the grasp. 



The withers must be high and well muscled. 

 Fine withers indicate insufficient strength to the 

 shoulders ; in such there is a deficiency of 

 muscle. 



478. The shoulder (P. 31, 69) consists of the 

 shoulder-blade (scapula), the forearm (humerus) 

 and the point of the shoulder, which is the joint 

 between these bones. 



The scapula should be very long and fairly 

 broad and lie obliquely. The muscle should be 

 well developed. For saddle work, obliquity is 

 essential. For harness work, a fairly upright 

 shoulder does not matter so much. (For saddle, 

 see P. 68<?, b. Compare with P. 296, 476, 105c.) 



The humerus should be fairly short and more 

 upright than the scapula, so as not to bring the 

 elbow joint too far under the body. (P. 676.) 



The chest should be very deep, fairly broad, 

 and well muscled in front. (P. 686.) P. iilh 

 shows want of depth from withers to sternum, 

 The elbow should be well separated on each side 

 from the chest. The forelegs should be straight 

 and broad. A plumb line dropped from the 

 point of the shoulder should pass in front of 

 the leg right down to the foot. (P. 100.) A 

 plumb line dropped from the centre of the elbow 

 joint should pass the centre of the leg right 

 down to the fetlock, and touch the ground just 

 posteriorly to the foot. (P. 636, 686. Compare 

 with P. 36c, 47d, 51e.) P. 966 shows clearly 

 the tremendous weight that can be borne by the 

 forelegs of a hprse, and what a tremendous strain 

 must come upon these legs when a horse lands 

 over a jump. 



479. The forearm (radius) should be quite 

 long compared with the cannon bone, and be 

 thick and very well supplied with muscle. 

 (P. 63a. Compare with P. 52a, 6, 57rf.) 



The ulna, which is the bone that is attached 

 to the back of the radius at the elbow joint, 

 should be large, strong, and set directly pos- 

 teriorly to the joint. This allows for ample 

 muscle attachment and full freedom in action. 

 (P. 66a. Compare with P. Me.) 



The knee should be large, broad, deep and 

 prominent. The trapezium bone, which projects 

 to the rear, should be long ; thus the knee should 

 taper off to the rear. (P. 66a. Compare with 

 P. 57d, /, 60a, 916.) 



The cannon should be short and strong ; very 

 short compared with the radius. (P. 21a. Com- 

 pare with P. 36e.) 



The tendons must be well set back and feel 



