STRUCTURAL EXAMINATION 41 



with the function of the joint. These all result in excruci- 

 ating pain and greatly lessen the horse's utility. Wide, 

 open hoof heads (this has reference to the top of the foot) 

 are very desirable. 



70. Body Short, Broad Back, Deep Ribs. The typical 

 draft horse should stand comparatively high in front. This 

 should not be due to straight shoulders or height of the 

 withers, for when these are high it will generally be found 

 that they are not well covered with muscle. Undue length 

 of the back, very often sunken, is a common defect of draft 

 horses. Another feature to look for in viewing the barrel is 

 the breadth and depth of the ribs. If the body is not round 

 and the ribs well sprung and deep, the chest is likely to be 

 narrow. The volume of the chest behind the withers is an 

 index to the capacity of the lungs, and it is a fact that horses 

 that are light there and short in the hind rib easily become 

 languid and depressed during exertion. The horse with a 

 poorly sprung rib making a shallow barrel and light loin is 

 usually a poor feeder and ill doer. 



71. Loin Thick, Broad. The loin should be thick and 

 broad. If there is a slight elevation over the loin due to an 

 extra development of the muscle it may be considered as 

 indicating strength, though it detracts from the symmetry. 



72. Croup Broad, Muscled. The croup should be broad 

 and thick with muscle. There is considerable difference in 

 draft horses in regard to the slope of the croup. In some it 

 appears as if they had been hit with a board in the hind 

 quarter giving the croup an extreme slope, while in others 

 it runs almost straight. The main factor which adds to the 

 strength of the croup is not the slope of it but the degree to 

 which it is muscled. The slope that runs from the center of 

 the hips to the root of the tail is made by the vertebrae to 

 which some important muscles are attached. The other 

 slope which runs from the sides of the hip joints as seen from 

 the side has perhaps more to do with the favorable applica- 



