HORSES AND MULES 



311 



roadsters, saddlers, hunters, polo ponies, 

 expressers or some other type, as cir- 

 cumstances may dictate. 



Thus far we have spoken of breeding 

 horses for market. Farmers must al- 

 so raise horses for their own use. On 

 the farm horses are needed for work, 

 driving and riding. The draft type will 

 usually be chosen for work horses. Most 

 farmers, however, prefer the light draft 



Points in the structure and physi- 

 ology of the horse—The weight borne bv 

 the front feet of the horse as compared 

 with that on the hind feet is expressed 

 by the ratio, 5-4. The center of gravity 

 is, therefore, at the base of a line which 

 falls through the withers, just behind 

 the shoulder blade and front feet. The 

 proportions of the body vary somewhac 

 in different types. Thus the Thorough- 



Fig. 224 — EXPRESS HORSE. FROM U. S. DEPT. AGRIC. BUR. ANIM. IND. 



type. For most farm work, 1,300 pounds 

 is heavy enough for the draft horse. 

 The 1,700 to 1,800-pound horse is less 

 active and a larger feeder. The 1,300- 

 pound horse, on the other hand, can be 

 worked, driven or ridden as occasion 

 may require. Most farmers cannot keep 

 distinct types of horses for all different 

 lines of work. The general purpose horse 

 with good strength and considerable 

 speed is, therefore, the horse for the av- 

 erage farmer. 



bred is 3 or 4 inches higher than long, 

 while the Shire horse is about 9 inches 

 longer than high. 



In general, a wide forehead indicates 

 a large brain power. In the speed horse, 

 the shoulder is more oblique than in ths 

 draft horse. Pink skin produces white 

 hair, and most white and gray horses 

 have black skin. The carrying of weight 

 upon the back requires long, oblique 

 shoulders, with strong shoulder and loin 



