THE CONFORMATION OF THE HORSE 55 



bone, which is the large bone that extends from 

 the knee to the fetlock, should be short and 

 stout and perfectly straight. It is most im- 

 portant that this bone should be strong, for if it 

 is not so, should the animal be put to hard work, 

 it is almost sure to go wrong — it will become 

 bent, or splints will be thrown out in a very 

 short time. There are two minor bones as well 

 as the large one — one on either side of it — the 

 small metacarpals, which go to make up the 

 bony mass from the knee to the fetlock ; but 

 these are unimportant in their usefulness in 

 assisting to support the weight of the body. 



Fetlock and Pastern. — The pastern of the 

 well-bred horse should be oblique, not straight, 

 for the slanting position gives to the animal in 

 its gait a springy action, and a lot of concussion 

 is thereby avoided. For riding-horses this is 

 very important, for if the pasterns are almost 

 straight, a deal of concussion is bound to take 

 place when the horse travels at any pace at 

 all. A horse so constructed is very prone to 

 develop side-bones, and to become affected with 

 the various other diseases of the feet. 



