THE TYPES AND CLASSES OF HORSES 91 



horses can, without being defective, be very open in front. 

 The lateral oscillations of the center of gravity, being only 

 prejudicial to velocity, do not diminish the energy of his 

 efforts. His power depends upon his mass, and he demands, 

 therefore, firm and voluminous muscles. From this point of 

 view we may regard a wide breast as a point of great merit, 

 because it gives to the trunk the volume which is necessary 

 in order to overcome easily, but slowly, heavy resistance." 

 The prevailing opinion among American horsemen, how- 

 ever, is that the chest may be too thick, especially if the legs 

 are attached wide on the corners of the body. Such con- 

 formation places the legs too wide apart and results in a 

 weaker placement of the limbs than is consistent with maxi- 

 mum draft and the most uniform action. The depth of 

 chest should be somewhat greater than the distance from its 

 floor to the foot surface, for this means shortness of leg and 

 the location of the center of gravity at the most desirable 

 point. The breast should extend forward in distinctive de- 

 gree, having some prominence and width between the 

 shoulder points. 



The back of the draft horse should be short, broad and 

 strongly supported. A short back is associated with the 

 closeness of the ribs that is related to strong muscular de- 

 velopment. There can be no likelihood of the back being 

 too broad. The back should be strongly supported, that is 

 the muscles and ligaments along the spine should be thick, 

 firm and strong, and hold the back well in place. The back 

 of the horse naturally inclines upwards toward the croup, 

 not being level. With age the ligaments and muscles often 

 relax and the back sags materially, indicating weakness. A 

 distinctive arching of the back at the loins goes by the name 

 of "roach back," and is not a desirable development. In 

 the case of the draft horse, when the back is in good condi- 

 tion and wide, a ridge of muscle may often be seen along 

 each side of the backbone. 



The loin of the draft horse should be short, wide and 

 strongly muscled. This portion of the back, for that is 



