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POSITION OF THE LEGS. 



The forelegs must stand straight, as you may na- 

 turally suppose : you will not be griffin enough to 

 purchase crooked legs. They should look moderate- 

 ly wide at the chest, gradually approaching each 

 other at the fetlock. If they stand fixed wide apart, 

 " pinned," like a horse labouring under inflamed lungs, 

 it is almost as faulty as if they were crooked from 

 the knee downwards ; but in the latter case, the knees 

 look a trifle too forward, in consequence of the legs 

 being a little bent backward ; he does not in fact stand 

 straight on his forelegs, and therefore you should 

 take the hint here, as well as in the capital crime, 

 the knuckling over of the fetlock joint ; for they al- 

 ways become more crooked on work. These unli- 

 censed pins are sometimes defended on the plea of 

 the horse having been born so, but one that was born 

 crooked is surely quite as bad as one that has been 

 worked so. The leg at other times, from the finish 

 of the knee, has a slant forward instead of backward, 

 the knee appearing too much straightened, bent a 

 little back, calf-kneed. This is a malformation, but 

 never proceeds from work, like the former, neither is 

 it of a hundredth part the consequence ; indeed, some 

 persons prefer a slight slant forwards, so as to be sure 

 there is none backwards. If your own eyes are 

 straight, and not askew, you ought; when standing 

 about a yard distant at the side, to discover either of 

 these defects at a glance, however slight they may be. 



The legs are sometimes bowed, and a bow-legged 

 horse generally dishes, and one that dishes will never 

 run. Dishing action should not be called bad action, 

 but rather floundering, or crooked action : bad action 

 is when the legs are not lifted sufficiently high, nor 

 propped >sufficicntly forward. 



