38 JUDGING HEAVY HORSES 



results in rolling and pitching in action, but if the shoulder 

 blades fit snug to the body this is not generally noticeable. 



64. Arms Sloping. The humerus or bone that forms the 

 arm should be short and sloping so as to bring the fore legs 

 properly under the body. In addition it should be well cov- 

 ered with muscle. 



65. Fore Legs Wide, Defined, Fore Arm Large. The 

 fore arm should be large and its prominence should be due 

 to a large bunch of muscle which gives the horse complete 

 control of his legs. It is an especially valuable feature to 

 notice in a draft horse for the reason that it is not as easily 

 padded with fat as the rest of the body. 



66. Knees Broad, Defined. A broad, clean knee is im- 

 portant and there should not be the least shrinkage in the 

 breadth below it. The extremities should be lean and the 

 tendons should stand out prominently from the rest of the 

 leg. In Clydesdales and Shires there should be a fringe of 

 fine, silky hair starting from behind the knee and running 

 to the fetlock and this should spring from the edge of the 

 leg. It is well to bear in mind that this "feather" very 

 often gives one a false impression of the width of the leg 

 below the knee. Horses that are coarse about the fetlocks 

 with matted, wiry hair in this region are as a rule more sub- 

 ject to the skin diseases characteristic of these regions. 



67. Fetlocks Clean, Wide. This joint should be clearly 

 defined without any fullness, due to windgalls. In addition 

 it should be wide so as to give favorable attachment to the 

 strong tendons that pass this point. 



68. Pasterns Sloping, Springy. The pastern of the draft 

 horse should be medium in length and it should be critically 

 examined especially in regard to its slope, for this has much 

 to do with the durability of the horse's feet and also has an 

 effect on the animal's action. A glance at the skeleton in 

 this region will show that there are four small bones below 

 the fetlock joint. The first one below this joint is the one 



