STRUCTURAL EXAMINATION 21 



thoroughly enjoyable from the point of view of the driver. 

 Owing to the ease with which the pacer moves and the light- 

 ness with which they speed over pavements, combined with 

 the rapidity with which they can reach their speed, the pacer 

 has become very popular among city road riders. 



//. Structural Examination. 



Thus far the features that enter largely into the general 

 appearance of the horse, the form, quality and action, have 

 been considered, but in addition to these qualities there are 

 numerous details of structure and soundness which have a 

 predominating influence on the value of any of the classes 

 that have been discussed. Not only must horses of the 

 classes described prove sound to be of service, but to sell 

 well they must also show the strength of structure that 

 wards off the possibility of any unsoundness -developing in 

 the future. A badly constructed hock without a curb may 

 depreciate the value of the horse fully as much as a curb 

 present on a strong and well formed hock. The first does 

 not have a curb solely because it has never been subjected 

 to a strain, while the curb in the latter instance must have 

 been due to stress of more than common severity. To 

 discuss this division of the subject in detail it will be neces- 

 sary to arrange the material that follows so as to consider 

 the various parts of a horse completely. 



26. Head Straight, Lean. The shape of the head and the 

 countenance of a horse adds greatly to its appearance, end as 

 this is the part which is most frequently observed it becomes 

 of some importance. The line from the ears to the point of the 

 nose as seen from the side should be almost straight. In 

 scanning the photographs of a great number of trotters it 

 will be noticed that nearly all stallions have slight Roman 

 noses while most of the mares have slightly dished faces, a 

 distinction which seems to be characteristic of the sexes. As 

 a rule it will be found thai horses of very prominent Roman 



