34 THE HORSE, ASS, AND MULE 



the cannon, whereas it should be of good depth and the bone 

 hard, smooth, and flat. The pasterns should stand at an angle 

 of about 45 degrees with the floor, and be long, smooth, and 

 springy. The feet should be of good size, round, wide at top, 

 well developed at heel, and preferably dark of bone. The chest 

 usually presents less breadth and more proportionate depth, the 

 roadster thus often seeming narrow-chested. Plenty of lung 

 capacity, with prominent breast, is essential, but these features 

 are not inconsistent with such a form of chest. The body 



Fig. ti. Rhea W. and Easter Belle. A great pair of prize-winning roadsters. 

 Champions at National Horse Show, Madison Square Garden, New York, 

 1904. Owned by Miss K. L. Wilks, Gait, Ontario, Canada. Photograph 

 from the owner 



should be strongly ribbed, the back short, the coupling close, 

 the loin strong and muscular, and the entire body framework 

 indicating constitution. Muscle and not fat is what the roadster 

 should carry, and thus his body frequently appears lacking in 

 capacity, as is in fact the case. Some of the most famous 

 trotters and pacers have certainly appeared to lack girth, with 

 flanks high, and circumference around the body at hind flank 

 distinctly less than good conformation would imply desirable. 

 A strong but not overprominent hip is preferable. The croup 

 is one of the most variable features of the roadster. Length, 

 breadth, and levelness are associated with the trot, but the 



