16 JUDGING LIGHT HORSES 



commanding appearance in movement which is so admirable 

 in the harness horse. 



19. Manner of Noting Levelness. The crucial test of the 

 balance of a horse's walk is the side view. Any variation 

 from proper structural proportions results in wobbling, hob- 

 bling or an otherwise uneven walk, and all these are readily 

 seen from the side. The levelness with which a horse walks 

 is one of the best evidences that the legs work in harmony. 

 The most common deflection from this is attributable to a 

 long, slim coupling which gives the onlooker the impression 

 that the horse might break away into two parts near the 

 region of the loin. In defective conformations of this kind 

 the stride of the hind limbs is short and he usually has an 

 uneven, choppy gait that is unsightly as well as ineffectual 

 in covering distances. On the other hand an opposite rela- 

 tion of the parts, close coupling and short back, with long 

 legs, is likely to give use to a slovenly swinging gait, pro- 

 ducing clicking, stumbling or other deficiencies. If there is 

 a flaw in the mechanism of the front legs, it is usually made 

 evident by the movement of the front feet, especially as they 

 are about to touch the ground. If the limb proportions are 

 ungainly the feet do not seem to reach the ground at the 

 proper stage, either turning too much on the heel or not turn- 

 ing enough and precipitating the toe. From behind it is 

 easy to observe if the walk of the hind limbs is level thus 

 being. free from any hitching, wobbling or unevenness in 

 the stride. 



20. The High Stepper in Action. The highest priced 

 action in the general horse market is that of the high stepper. 

 The peculiarity of this action consists in lifting the knees 

 inordinately high and flexing the hocks so that they come 

 close to the body and keep the legs well under it. From 

 the standpoint of action alone, the higher the knees and the 

 ^ocks are lifted the more valuable is the horse, provided 

 the type and other features more common are equally 



