28 JUDGING LIGHT HORSES 



round ribbed horse always has the appearance of being in- 

 ordinately long in the legs. This deception is due to the 

 roundness of the body. It can easily be seen that from a 

 side view the flat ribbed horse presents a body of deeper 

 appearance and seemingly has shorter legs than the horse 

 that is rounder ribbed. 



43. Back Strong, Short, Muscled. In its proportion 

 the body should be short above and long underneath. This 

 not only adds to its strength, but it gives the legs free play 

 and insures a balanced stride. The horse of this conforma- 

 tion under the saddle will unite himself more quickly and 

 better, while the same horse on the line, or in harness will 

 have a freer and more balanced stride. It is the opinion of 

 many that the roach back is an evidence of strength. It is 

 the most undesirable feature in a horse for the saddle, and 

 it is to say the least, an eyesore in road or in carriage 

 horses. 



44. Loin Short, Broad, Muscled. It is a defect of many 

 horses to be light and narrow at the juncture of the body 

 and the hind quarter. If the loin is long or slack, that is, 

 if the distance is great between the last rib and the hip 

 bone, the horse is likely to be weak in the coupling and 

 deficient in action, and when this is viewed from the side, 

 it will be noticed that the hind foot fails to reach the point 

 where the front foot left the ground. This probably is due 

 more to lack of muscle over the loin than to any other 

 defect. 



^.5. Croup Long, Muscular. The part included in the 

 hind quarters should be critically examined, for, as it has 

 been previously explained, it is in this region that the pro- 

 pelling power resides. The haunch or croup should be long 

 and on account of the improved appearance it should be 

 comparatively straight. When the croup is long, it allows 

 a greater play of the main muscles that are located in this 

 region. It will be noticed in nearly all fast trotters that 

 the croup generally has this characteristic. Length of 

 muscle here as elsewhere contributes to speed. 



