82 



JUDGING FARM ANIMALS 



foot laps over to complete the contact. The long, springy 

 pastern permits a greater extension of limb, and a placing 

 of the foot with less concussion. The shorter and more 

 upright pastern, gives a harder and more stilted gait and 

 a greater tendency when in action, to contact the toe before 

 the frog or heel. There is some difference of opinion among 

 horsemen as to the length of pastern desirable in the draft 

 horse. Generally speaking, one of medium length is re- 

 garded as most desirable 

 for all conditions. The 

 Scotch, however, prefer a 

 long pastern. Dykes, in his 

 introduction in the Clydes- 

 dale Stud Book of Scot- 

 land, says : 10 "No doubt 

 the upright pastern suits 

 well the upright shoulder 

 and slow action of the 

 English draft horse, a con- 

 formation which can scarce- 

 ly be called the best for 

 any purpose ; but it will 

 not do in the Clydesdale, 

 which requires a pastern to 

 suit the formation of the 

 shoulder, and to confer the 

 necessary elasticity to coun- 

 teract the concussion caused 

 by his quick, firm step. 



Short, upright pasterns always get worse with age 

 and feeding, and the action in due course of time 

 becomes impeded. A horse with an upright pastern 

 has little or no command of his foot, and literally walks 

 as on a crutch ; and if he has no power of his foot, he can- 

 not have much of his shoulder." Mr. Alex. Galbraith, long 

 intimately identified with the draft horse industry in 



10 Vol. I., 2d ed., 1884, p. 51. 



Fig. 40. "The long, springy pastern 

 permits a greater extension of limb." 



