78 



JUDGING FARM ANIMALS 



being the point of the elbow. It is important that the fore- 

 arm be long and strongly muscled. This portion of the 

 front leg varies, however, less in length than in width and 

 muscle covering. On the upper part the muscles should 

 be comparatively thick and wide, suggestive of power. The 

 forearm from a side view gradually narrows, the lower 

 portion taking on a flat, hard, muscular appearance. Viewed 

 from in front, the upper third of the forearm should ap- 

 pear thick and somewhat rounded out, tapering consider- 

 ably just above the knee. Any narrowness and lack of 

 muscling in the upper forearm is evidence of weak forma- 

 tion. The direction of the forearm should be straight, to 

 assure trueness of stride, as suggested in the preceding 

 paragraph. 



The knee of the horse should be broad from a front 



view and deep or wide as 

 viewed from one side, and 

 should show a straight direc- 

 tion. As viewed from in 

 front the knee is very slight- 

 ly drawn in in its lower 

 half. From a side view the 

 front of the knee is nearly 

 flat when most perfectly de- 

 veloped, but as a whole nar- 

 rows more or less in its lower 

 part, often considerably so. 

 The more the knee tapers in 

 below, the less support will 

 it have at this point, and the 

 weaker will be the conforma- 

 tion. The tendon at the 

 back part of the knee should 

 contribute to give depth and 

 strength. What is known 

 as "calf knee" is a posi- 



Fig. 38. "Knee-sprung or over at ,. . ' . , Jl 



the knees." tion in which the knee from 



