6o 



THE HORSE, ASS, AND MULE 



rear thin, the entire joint being lean and smooth, with no puffi- 

 ness or coarseness. The action so essential in a coach horse can 

 only be found in a normal, smooth, and strong hock. 



The legs of the coach horse, as a whole, must show cleanness, 

 good bone, and plenty of muscle. The arm must be short, broad, 

 and flat, with great muscle development. The elbows should 

 stand out showing room between the legs and chest, indicating 

 easy moving power. If the elbow is too close to allow the easy 

 insertion of the hand between that and the body, the legs will not 



Fig. 19. Glorious Red Cloud. A nearly perfect specimen of a standard-bred 

 American trotter in heavy harness as a coach horse. Owned by Thomas 

 W. Lawson of Boston, Massachusetts. Photograph by Schreiber from 

 National Stockman and Farmer 



stand straight and the front toes will turn out, while if the elbow 

 is too far from the body, the opposite result will obtain, in either 

 case giving an awkward movement. The fore arm should be very 

 long and strongly muscled, wide at top, and tapering gracefully 

 downward. The knee in its strength is broad in front and narrow 

 behind, is full and prominent, and strongly attached both above 

 and below. Sometimes the knees come too close together, often 

 they are crooked, and occasionally they project too far over the 

 cannon bones. The cannons, both front and rear, should be flat, 



